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1 



THE STORY 



OF THE 



AEROPLANE 






.BY 



CLAUDE GRAHAME-WHITE 



• 




'BOSTON 
SMALL, MAYNARD AND COMPANY 

PUBLISHERS 






Copyright, 191 i 
By Small, Maynard and Company 

(incorporated) 



Entered at Stationers' Hall 



)f l 



H- 



THE UNIVERSITY PRESS, CAMBRIDGE, U. S. A. 



©CI, A 2896 9 8 

k 



THE 
STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 



CHAPTER 


I 


THE BEGINNINGS 


OF 


FLIGHT 


Date. Miles. 




Time in Air. 


1903 0.98 




59 sec 


1904 3.00 




5 min. 27 sec. 


1905 24.20 




38 min. 13 sec. 



For the first chapter of a book on flying, and 
particularly of a book which is to be read by 
Americans, I could not, I think, do better than 
to make a beginning with the little table which 
I have set out above. It tells, in itself, in the 
clearest possible way, the endeavor of two men 
whose names will be remembered as long as the 
world lasts — Wilbur and Orville Wright. 

For their country, these two pioneers have 
done a very great thing. They have ensured 
that, whenever flying is under discussion, Amer- 
ica must take a pre-eminent place. 

These two brothers have made the month of 
December, 1903, a memorable one in history. It 
was in this month that they achieved their first 
flight w r ith a power-driven aeroplane. In the 



2 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

following three years, the brbthers made some 
1 6b flights, learning useful lessons by each one. 

The story of the Wright brothers is a singu- 
larly fascinating one. Their work has always 
been, in my opinion, typical of the spirit of Amer- 
ica. That spirit is " thoroughness/; These two 
brothers had no special facilities for the great 
task which they set themselves. It would have 
seemed, at the beginning) is though their efforts 
must be doomed to failure. But they did what 
I have noticed that the majority of successful 
men in America do. Instead of making their 
work a toil, they made it a pleasure. Nothing 
was toft much for them. No piece of research 
was too arduous. The result was that they 
built a flying machine which is, even in these 
days of progress, a wonder of efficiency. 

, The flights set out above express, at a glance 
so to, speak, the record of the marvelous work 
done by these two quiet, determined men. In 
our view, to-day, when flights of many hours' 
duration have become an accomplished fact, 
the first triumph, that of remaining in the air 
for a period of 59 seconds, has a peculiarly 
striking effect. 

One can imagine the feelings of quiet triumph 
of these two men, who had worked for years in 
solitude, when they were able to pilot through 
the air the first power-driven aeroplane. 

The way in which the Wright brothers sought 



THE BEGINNINGS OF FLIGHT 3 

to elucidate the problems of flight was, in itself, 
typical of them. They set to work in a purely 
methodical way. Without beginning, as some 
experimenters have, at what one may call the 
wrong end of the stick — that is to say with a 
power-driven machine — they determined to de- 
vote exhaustive tests to machines which were 
known as " gliders, " and which are not equipped 
with power. 

What they learned by their tests with " glid- 
ers " may, perhaps, be summarized in the follow- 
ing way. They learned that a machine con- 
structed of planes, with a " camber," or curve, 
on these planes best suited to get a maximum 
of "'lift " out of the air passing beneath it, will 
glide through the air, providing it is moving 
fonvard fast enough to obtain support out of 
the air, and also that this machine can be con- 
trolled, while in a gliding flight, by movements 
of small subsidiary , planes. 

Nor did this comprise all that they learned 
in their glider work. This preliminary flying 
taught them many valuable lessons regarding 
the distribution of the weights upon a machine. 
They also required very valuable knowledge con- 
cerning what " camber " on a plane gave the 
best lifting results, having regard to a certain 
area of surface. 

One must take it, I think, that these brothers 
were the first men in the world to make a satis- 



4 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

factory application of motive power to an aero- 
plane. After they had experimented, with ex- 
traordinary patience, with all forms of gliders, 
and had been undeterred by countless failures, 
they decided that the time had come to fix the 
most perfect of their gliders with an engine and 
propellers and attempt a power-driven flight. 
For power, they used a four-cylinder engine of an 
extremely simple design, which drove two pro- 
pellers. It was with this first machine, a crude 
construction when viewed with the eyes of 191 1, 
that they made a leap through the air of 0.98 of a 
mile. 

Fifty-nine seconds in the air! Men more en- 
thusiastic and less self-restrained than were these 
two brothers, would have been unable to proceed 
methodically after this. They would have sought 
the world, and would have declared their triumph. 

Jr-^ it was, however, they said nothing. All 
they did, in fact, was to plan very much more 
efficient work, and to allow a year to go by. 

Their strength of mind is wonderful to con- 
template. For all they knew, at that time, some 
other man, or men, might have been forestalling 
them in their great achievement. 

In 1904, we find their further experiments 
bearing fruit. Now we have a flight of three 
miles. After this, evidently, the brothers made 
astonishing progress, for in the next year they 
succeeded at flying, at a height varying from 



THE BEGINNINGS OF FLIGHT 5 

seventy-five to one hundred feet, for a distance 
of 24.20 miles. During this flight the machine 
was more than half an hour in the air. 

The conquest of the air ! But, of course, there 
are important reservations. The air has not yet 
been conquered, although, writing as I do in the 
beginning of 191 1, flights of eight hours 7 dura- 
tion have become an accomplished fact. It is 
not the air, but the gusts of wind that pass 
across the surface of the earth, that constitute 
the airman's foe. Until, by gradually increasing 
speeds, it is possible to fly in winds that now 
chain us to the ground, it will not be possible 
to say that the task which the Wright brothers 
began has been brought to a completely success- 
ful issue. 

After astonishing America with these early 
flights, the Wright brothers separated tempora- 
rily. Wilbur Wright went to Europe. Here, 
although people were interested, they were 
frankly sceptical. But Wilbur Wright, indomi- 
table and reserved, soon proved that jhis were no 
idle claims. His flights in France aroused the 
wildest enthusiasm. 

And what 'has happened since then, in connec- 
tion with the work of these two wonderful men? 
After their first achievements, they were busy, 
for some time, organizing flying schools and sell- 
ing their machines to various governments. Now 
they are experimenting again. 



6 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

" Still at work!" as one of their friends de- 
scribed them to me when I was in America. This 
is typical of them. The Wright brothers rep- 
resent a type- 'that is almost unique in the flying 

world. They are never beaten. They are always 
thinking things out. And I have no doubt at 
all but that they will again make the world 
wonder with some new idea. 

Many people, \Vho are not technical, and who 

-have' discussed -flying with hie, have expressed 
w r onder why it was, after so many; many years of 
striving, that man should suddenly find succ 
In aerial navigation. 

The explanation, like many other explanations 
-of 'a strange thing, is simple. The difference be- 
tween flying, and not flying, was purely one of 
•motive power. Years before man actually flew it 
had been possible, by means of gliding machines, 
to determine what Shape* planes should be, and 

• also how an aeroplane' might be controlled in 
flight. All this work, as I have said, had been 
done. But men Were flo nearer their goal than 
they had been before. The engines which were 
available to propel their machines were too heavy. 
An illustration to make this point clear is pos- 
sible. The lightest steam engine that could be 
'employed, as the motive power, for one of the 
early type aeroplanes weighed 10 lbs. for every; 
•horse-power of energy which it produced. Now- 
adays, one of the best petrel motors used on aero- 



THE BEGINNINGS OF FLIGHT 7 

planes weighs only about 3^; lbs. for each horse- 
power. ' , 

Here you have the secret. In this lies the dif- 
ference between success and failure. As soon as 
man discovered the ideal form of motor for his 
aeroplane, he began to fly. Although I have 
shown that the Wright brothers were flying in 
1903, one finds that very important preliminary 
work was being carried out ten years before any. 
real success came. 

Lilienthal, whose name will never be forgotten 
in the annals of flying, and who began his 
experiments in 1871, was performing gliding 
flights long before power-driven flight was pos- 
sible. In one of them Lilienthal flew, or, rather, 
glided through the air for a distance of more 
than 100 yards, at a height of, some seventy- 
five feet. He used an arrangement of planes 
or wings, which he held around him, and with 
which he precipitated himself from a hill, gliding 
down the side of it against the wind. Lilienthars 
pioneer work was unfortunately cut short, in 
1896, owing to the fact that the wind — the air- 
man's implacable enemy — overturned his glider 
while in a flight, and he was killed. 

One of the most interesting experiments in 
England in the early days of flying was that 
carried out by Sir Hiram Maxim. He con- 
structed, in 1894, a very large machine which 
cost, to construct, a sum of .close upon £20,000. 



8 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

The machine, roughly described, comprised one 
large lifting plane with a number of smaller 
planes. Altogether the area of the lifting surface 
of the machine amounted to 3,875 square feet. 
The framework of this very large machine was 
not built of wood, as is the case with the aero- 
planes we have at present, but went a stage fur- 
ther even than we have done — being constructed 
of steel tubes. The machine was driven by a spe- 
cially lightened steam engine which developed 
350 horse-power and weighed 700 lbs. Alto- 
gether the aeroplane weighed well over three 
tons. 

This highly ambitious experiment was produc- 
tive of some very interesting results. In order 
to give the machine a run along the ground be- 
fore rising into the air, a miniature railway 
line had been constructed. The aeroplane was 
fitted with wheels and designed to move along 
this line. 

Sir Hiram Maxim went very carefully, be- 
forehand, into the question of how the machine 
should be controlled, should it lift into the 
air. 

As a matter of fact, no very clear idea could 
be obtained as to what would happen to the ma- 
chine should it actually lift and move off through 
the air. To obviate the danger of an accident 
from this cause an overhead rail w r as fitted. 
Wheels were fitted on the machine to come in con- 



THE BEGINNINGS OF FLIGHT 9 

tact with it, and so prevent the aeroplane rising 
more than a few feet. 

With this machine, heavy though it was, what 
one may call controlled flights were made. On 
several occasions the machine lifted until it 
touched the upper rail. Unfortunately, after 
some experiments had been carried out, the appa- 
ratus was wrecked. 

Professor Langley, a man who had taken the 
most profound scientific interest in the develop- 
ment of flying, did some exceedingly interesting 
work in America in 1896. He was a great be- 
liever in working with models. On one test, of 
which I have a note, he produced a large work- 
ing model which is said to have flown for a dis- 
tance of no less than four thousand feet. This 
was an extraordinarily good performance. 

References to these early pioneers are not 
complete without mention of the imported glid- 
ing work of Chanute, who became the aeronau- 
tical mentor of the brothers Wright, and whose- 
biplane glider provided the brothers with their 
first experimental type machine. 

There is no doubt that a great deal of valuable 
work in connection with aeroplaning can be 
achieved with models — despite some statements 
that have been made to the contrary. For a man 
w r ho is intending to build an aeroplane the making 
of a series of models first is most instructive. 
One can, for example, determine very effectually, 



io THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

by means of a model, what the gliding angle of a 
completed machine will be. It is also possible, 
with the aid of models, to estimate very accurately 
what will be the effect in a full-sized machine of 
any experimental form of elevating planes or 
rudder. 

For this reason, I have always been only to i 
glad to further, so far as has been in my power, 
any project concerning the institution of model 
aeroplane clubs. Of these there arc a number in 
England and in America. Their membership 
comprises men as well as boys. A great deal 
of very useful knowledge can be gleaned in a 
pleasant way by the living of models. Lang- 
ley's experiments produced a great deal of in- 
teresting data concerning the shapes of planes. 

Preliminary work with gliding machines 
carried out in a very practical manner by Pilcher, 
an Englishman whose name will be remembered 
with that of Lilienthal. Pilcher made a very 
great number of glides and determined some very 
useful points, especially regarding the stability 
of aeroplanes. But, unfortunately for himself, 
he shared the same fate as did Lilienthal, his 
predecessor. Pilcher was performing a long glide 
when his machine was attacked by a sudden gust 
of wind. This caused him to lose control of it, 
and it was dashed to the ground, with fatal re- 
sults for its pilot. In these days, when we have 
to remember that there have been thirty-five 



THE BEGINNINGS OF FLIGHT n 

aeroplane fatalities up to April I, 191 1, it is 

very significant to - mber that, even with 

such simple appara men v 

using, there was a n purely ex- 
perimerual work. 



CHAPTER II 

EARLY WORK IN EUROPE AND THE DEVELOP- 
MENT OF PILOTS AND MACHINES 

The men who have actually evolved new aero- 
planes — men like the Wright brothers, Farman, 
and Bleriot for example — should be specially 
thanked for their labors. The men who have 
taken over their work, and flown upon machines 
which they have evolved, have not done 
notable a thing, seeing that they have not taken 
so grave a risk. 

One instance of this point is sufficient. Bleriot, 
while experimenting with the monoplanes which 
he finally brought to such success, had one fall 
after another, due to the fact that he was ex- 
perimenting either with some new engine, some 
new form of wing, or with some fresh method of 
control. 

The men who began to fly upon Bleriot's mono- 
plane afterwards, although they have done much 
to further the industry, cannot share with him 
the same laurels as pioneers. I have mentioned 
this point because I think we are sometimes rather 
prone to forget in the triumph of present achieve- 

12 



EARLY WORK IN EUROPE 13 

merits what these first masters of flight really 
were able to achieve. 

From 1899, when Pilcher was " gliding/' we 
come to a peculiar form of bat-like machine which 
was used in the next year, 1900, by a Frenchman 
named Ader. This experimenter had planes 
which were in the shape of wings, and his 
whole apparatus weighed something over half- 
a-ton. It lifted, actually flew a little way, and 
then came to grief. 

One very curious fact occurs to me in this con- 
nection. When one reads of the work of these 
very early pioneers, one is struck by the fact 
that many of them appeared to think that no 
period of what one might call tuition in flying 
would be necessary. 

In several cases, very large and heavy machines 
were built as first models. With these, appar- 
ently, the inventors hoped to be able, when they 
got into the air, to learn the control of their 
machines instinctively. How they could have 
hoped to do this I can hardly see. 

In some cases, with machines weighing nearly 
a ton, had they actually flown any appreciable 
distance, they would have been bound to come to 
grief by failing to control the machines in the new 
element in which they found themselves. With 
present-day aeroplanes, it is necessary for a pupil 
to run about on the ground for some appreciable 
time before he dares to raise himself into the air. 



14 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

During this ground practice, he accustoms him- 
self to the operation of the controlling mechanism 
of the aeroplane. His first flights, of course, 
when he makes them, are very brief ones. He 
gradually learns confidence in the air in the same 
way as does a young bird which is just learning t< i 
take to its wings. 

In considering the earlier European experi- 
menters, let me now turn to a very famous 
figure in the world of flying — M San 
Dumont, the agile and daring Brazilian sports- 
man who has done so much to further the con- 
quest of the air. At Bagatelle, in October of 
1906, M. Santos-Dumont was experimenting 
with a very queer machine — queer at least 
when viewed in comparison with the machines 
which we now possess. 

It was very much like a big box-kite, with a 
sort of junior box-kite in front of it to act 
as an elevator. The whole construction ran on 
bicycle wheels, and was propelled by a motor 
which weighed 130 lbs. After innumerable ex- 
periments with this machine M. Santos-Dumont 
succeeded in flying, or rather in "hopping" 
across thfc ground, for a distance of about eighty 
yards. 

This feat was acclaimed at the time as a most 
wonderful one, and was the cause of the keenest 
attention being directed to the young Brazilian's 
next performances. 



EARLY WORK IX EUROPE i 



o 



In the following month; perfecting his ap- 
paratus a little, he was able to make a " flight " 
of one hundred and sixty yards. At this there 
was the greatest enthusiasm. This, it should 
be remembered, was in 1906. Now, only a little 
more than four years later, we read almost every 
day of flights of three, four, and five hours 
being made. It is illustrations like these which 
show us how rapid has been the development 
of flight. 

Following upon his one hundred and sixty 
yard flight, Santos-Dumont was able, in the 
same month of November, 1906, to make what 
was acclaimed as a " world's record." 

He flew for a distance of 230 yards. While 
making this aerial journey he remained in the 
air for twenty-one and one-fifth seconds. His 
speed during this memorable effort was stated 
to be at the rate of twenty-five miles an hour. 

In this connection, one can also illustrate the 
progress that has been made since then. From 
twenty-five miles an hour speeds crept to thirty, 
from thirty to forty, from forty to fifty, and then 
up to over sixty miles an hour. Recently a flight 
was recorded in which the speed of the machine 
was close upon eighty miles an hour ! 

After Santos-Dumont had thus created his 
230 yards world's record, progress in Europe 
was slow 7 until the following year, 1907. De- 
signers and makers had, however, been busy in 



16 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

the meantime. Notable amongst those who 
were experimenting very carefully in this new 
field were the Voisin brothers, w T ho carried out 
a number of experiments with gliding machines. 

They produced an exceedingly interesting 
machine. This machine of theirs had two sup- 
porting planes, with a front elevator, and a tail 
something in the form of a box-kite. In the 
center of the machine was a petrol motor, which 
actuated a metal, two-bladed propeller. 

When this machine was ready to be flown, 
there naturally came the need to find a pilot 
who would steer it. This proved to be Mr- 
Henry Farman, who had been making himself 
famous as a racing motor-driver, and who after- 
wards became one of the world's most renowned 
airmen. Pie took this first biplane of the Voisins' 
to the large military parade ground at Issy-les- 
Moulineaux, near Paris. 

After a good deal of delay, due to the work 
necessary in tuning up the machine, Mr. Farman 
flew for a distance of 311 yards. With this 
feat, he eclipsed the "world's record" of M. 
Santos-Dumont, who had, as I have just said, 
flown for 230 yards at Bagatelle just about a 
year before. 

This flight of Mr. Farman's was but a prelude 
to a regular series of aeroplane triumphs. Thir- 
teen days after he had flown 311 yards, Mr. 
Farman rose off the ground and flew for 843 



EARLY WORK IN EUROPE 17 

yards in two stages. In the first he was in the 
air for twenty-seven seconds, traversing 383 
yards. In the second stage he flew 440 yards in 
thirty-one and one-half seconds. 

This idea of making a flight of 843 yards in 
two stages is humorous to us nowadays, partic- 
ularly when one remembers that Paulhan's 
famous London to Manchester flight of 183 
miles in 191 o was performed with only one halt. 
But these flights of Farman's attracted all Paris 
to Issy, and were the means, in addition, of 
stimulating the interest of the entire world. 

After a little more experimental work, Mr. 
Farman eclipsed all his previous achievements. 
It was on January 11, 1908, that he was able to 
demonstrate to the people of Europe that the 
aeroplane could really fly. Starting away with 
his aeroplane flying very welL At. Farman was 
able to remain in the air for & period of 1 m. 55 s. 

This performance, although it would be 
eclipsed nowadays by the first flight of the 
veriest novice, was regarded, in those pioneer 
times, only three short years ago, as being some- 
thing altogether remarkable. Crowds came out 
to Issy to see this wonderful man and his even 
more wonderful machine. 

Two days later, on January 13, Mr. Farman 
went a stage further. He was able to fly for a 
kilometer, and while doing so to effect a turn in 
the air. This was the first time that he had been 



18 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

able to do anything except short, straight flights. 
By making this semicircle he won a £2,000 
prize and also a £100 award from the Daily 
Mail 

After these days, progress with flying began 
to be very rapid. Once it was found possible to 
get a power-driven machine into the air, prog- 
ress was represented chiefly by the pilot's ability 
to keep his engine running. Upon these engines 
the greatest care was expended. It was not 
long before flights of half an hour were made. 
The year 1908 was, indeed, remarkable for the 
gradual lengthening of aeroplane Bights, and 
for the fact that aeroplane engines were begin- 
ning to be made reliable. 

This leads me to the year 1909. This will be 
remembered as a year of great public exhibitions 
of flying. The first of the wonderful Rheims 
weeks was held with extraordinary success. 
Flying meetings took place in all parts of Eu- 
rope. People really began to awaken to the new 
wonder which had dawned. Xo more significant 
feat was achieved than that of M. Bleriot, when 
he first crossed the English Channel by aeroplane 
on the morning of July 25, 1909. The year 1909 
also saw the institution of regular flying schools, 
to which pupils thronged in order to be taught 
to handle the chief types of machines. 

While 1909 showed what aeroplanes could do 
when flying round aerodromes, 19 10 may be 



EARLY WORK IN EUROPE 19 

taken to have been the great " cross-country " 
year. Aeroplanes flew over towns and coun- 
try. Engines became so reliable that feats of 
cross-country flying, undreamed of the year 
before, were attempted by many airmen. 

A notable event of the year, of course, was the 
winning of the Daily Mail £10,000 prize for a 
flight in England of 180 miles from London to 
Manchester by M. Louis Paulhan — with whom, 
it may be remembered, I had the honor to com- 
pete. The year 1910 also showed, for the first 
time, in the French maneuvers and elsewhere, 
the military potentialities of the airman. 

The year was important also for the remark- 
able growth of the number of flyers. One esti- 
mate made at the end of 19 10 put the total 
number of men in the world who could pilot a 
power-driven aeroplane at close upon three 
thousand. 

One of the most picturesque personalities in 
the world of aviation is Mr. Hubert Latham, 
whom Americans have had an opportunity of 
seeing. Mr. Latham's reputation was made in 
the early days of flying, not by the length of his 
flights, but by the fact, that he ventured aloft 
in winds which proved too great for any other 
pilots. Contributing to his success in this di- 
rection was the stability of his Antoinette mono- 
plane, and also his own great personal skill. 
In appearance, Mr. Latham does not suggest 



20 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

his wonderful dash and nerve. He is slight, 
with a rather pale face, and dark, somewhat 
speculative eyes. He is generally smoking a 
cigarette and, if he be talking with others, he 
is probably speaking very quietly, and with an 
occasional shrug of the shoulders. These things 
are characteristic of him. 

The eternal cigarette is apparently an in- 
dispensable accompaniment to his conversation, 
and also to his flights. This quiet, almost ab- 
stracted, young man is one of the finest airmen 
of the day. He has already dmie many stimu- 
lating things in his life, and he is now excep- 
tionally keen upon the newest sport of the day — 
airmanship. Mr. Latham has been a big game 
hunter, and he is an expert motorist. Above all, 
he is an airman of extraordinary delicacy and 
skill. His introduction to the flying world was 
typical of him. 

The Antoinette monoplane, although a most 
interesting and efficient machine, apparently re- 
quires a good deal of skill in the handling of it. 
In its early days it suffered somewhat, because : t 
was not possible to find any sufficiently expert 
pilot to reveal what it could do. At this juncture, 
Mr. Hubert Latham became interested in the ma- 
chine, and decided to learn to fly it. 

After a few trials, Mr. Latham astonished the 
makers of the machine by the rapid way in which 
he learned to control it. In a very short time he 



EARLY WORK ' IN EUROPE 21 

was completely master of the monoplane, and 
was able to display to the full the capabilities of 
-the machine, particularly its stability when flying 
in a wind. 

When in Latham's hands, with its wide- 
spread wings, and graceful tail planes, the 
monoplane has a really striking resemblance 
to a bird in flight. This beautiful flying of 
the Antoinette was a striking feature of the 
first Rheims meeting. Whereas, when others 
came past the stands, there was generally very 
little in the way of applause, the appearance of 
this monoplane was ; the -occasion each time of 
loud expressions of admiration. 

The Antoinette, without doubt, is the most 
picturesque of all flying machines, and Mr. 
Latham, who has always remained faithful to 
this type of machine, is able to demonstrate its 
beautiful flying in a most perfect way. 

It is a notable thing, that soon after he has 
begun to feel accustomed to flying in the ma- 
chine, Mr. Latham began to make experiments 
in a wind. There is little doubt but that he 
was the first airman to venture aloft in any- 
thing like a strong wind. At Chalons, where he 
conducted his early trials, other pilots who were 
learning to fly became amazed at the gusty winds 
in which he did not mind taking out his machine 
for a flight. It was his contention then, as it is 
now, that real skill lies in combating a wind. 



Z2 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

The sensations of the struggle, when battling 
with gusts, seems to delight him also. 

On one special occasion, of which many people 
have told me, Latham acquired his nickname of 
being the " Fighter of the Wind." The incident 
occurred at Chalons. It was a windy day, gusty, 
and boisterous. All the machines were in their 
sheds, and most of the aviators, after waiting 
in disgust for the wind to drop, had left the 
ground. Then Latham came out with the idea 
of flying. He rose against the wind, and climbed 
fast. The few people who were there have al- 
ways declared, since, that they saw the most 
wonderful exhibition of skill that has ever been 
witnessed. When it had attained a good eleva- 
tion, the monoplane appeared to be caught by 
the force of the wind. It practically stood still, 
and then began to be beaten slowly backwards. 
The gusts struck it with such violence that it 
rocked and swayed to an extent that those who 
saw it say was most alarming. 

Although it seemed every moment that it must 
be overturned, Latham made no attempt to de- 
scend. Irresistibly, the monoplane was driven 
backwards. Although the engine was pushing 
it forward, at a speed of close upon forty miles 
an hour, it could make no headway at all. The 
machine drifted away, helpless in the power of 
the wind. 

But Latham sat busy with his controlling 



EARLY WORK IN EUROPE 23 

wheels, quite unmoved by the predicament in 
which he found himself. After a short time, 
desirous of returning to his starting point, he 
made up his mind to get the better of his enemy, 
the wind. So he made a swift dive towards the 
ground. To those below, he seemed to be drop- 
ping at a tremendous pace; so indeed he was. 
The impetus that his fall gave him, enabled him 
to make headway against the wind. And so, at 
the finish, he landed quite safely not very far 
from the spot at which he had risen. 

As an absolutely daring exhibition of flying, 
this flight of Latham's will probably remain as 
something quite historic in the annals of the 
Chalons aerodrome. Latham's fights with the 
wind have been described to me by a friend of 
his, as a never-ending one. 

" Latham, and the wind," said the friend, " are 
sworn enemies. He has determined to get the 
better of the fight and never loses an opportu- 
nity of continuing it. On one or tw T o occasions 
the wind has got the better of Latham, but on 
the other hand, he has triumphed over the wind 
on many memorable occasions." 

One of the times when Latham won his fight 
against the wind, was at the first flying meeting 
at Blackpool, held in the autumn of 1909. The 
wind on this occasion was blowing very hard, 
and was, moreover, blowing in gusts. It was so 
strong, in fact, that some of the gusts were re- 



24 THE STORY; OF THE AEROPLANE 

corded on an anemometer as being at least forty 
miles an hour. 

People had been waiting all day to see some 
flying. But it was only natural that in the face 
of such conditions the flyers should prefer to re- 
main on the ground. After lunch, while the 
crowds were still waiting patiently, Mr. Latham 
motored up to the ground and declared that he 
would attempt a flight. 

The members of the committee begged him 
not to think of doing so. It appeared to them Ear 
too perilous an undertaking. But Latham was 
politely firm about the matter. He insisted that 
the black flag, which indicated that there was no 
likelihood of flying, should be taken down, and 
that the red flag, meaning that flying was to 
begin, should be hoisted in its place. 

There was astonishment on the part oi" the 
crowd when this signal was raised. Even to 
people who were not conversant with the techni- 
calities of flying, it appeared foolish for any one 
to attempt a flight in such a wind. Latham got 
off the ground safely, and rose to a height of 
about one hundred feet. His progress down the 
course against the windy gusts was represented 
by a series of ten-feet jerks. 

As each gust struck the machine, it stood still. 
Then, when the wind lessened a little, it forged 
slowly ahead. The pilot displayed absolutely 
astounding skill in preserving the equilibrium of 
the machine. 



EARLY WORK IN EUROPE 25 

After flying down the course against the wind, 
he began to turn round one of the pylons. Here, 
catching the wind sideways he was in imminent 
peril of being overturned. However, his skill 
stood him in good stead, and he managed to 
swing round and move off with the wind. 

When he did so, the effect was extraordinary. 
From proceeding at a snail's pace the monoplane 
suddenly seemed to leap through the air. It was 
calculated that, swept forward on the wind, 
Latham attained a speed of quite eighty-five or 
ninety miles an hour. 

Two perilous circuits of the course he made 
before descending. When he did come down 
he was naturally greeted as a popular hero. 

Once or twice the wind has had its revenge 
upon Latham. At the Lyons meeting, for ex- 
ample, a gust caught his machine while he was 
turning, dashed it to the ground, and wrecked it. 
His experience of wind flying, like that of others, 
has convinced him that what is necessary in 
order to combat adverse winds is greater speed. 
If he could fly at seventy or eighty miles an 
hour, instead of the forty-five or fifty that is his 
best so far, he is sure that he would achieve very 
much better results. To this end, it is his aim to 
equip his Antoinette monoplane with greater 
horse power. 

In this section of my book I am going to deal 
with the constructional features of many ma- 



26 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

chines, and the methods that have been employed 
by the famous makers, in their early efforts to 
build successful aeroplanes. 

It is an undoubted fact that the first ideas came 
to builders from a study of box-kites. Take, for 
example, the machine on which M. Santos-Du- 
mont made his first epoch-making flights at 
Bagatelle in France. This machine appeared to 
the ordinary observer to be a box-kite, pure and 
simple. It had two big main planes, divided into 
cells, while right out in the front was another 
and smaller cell, which acted as an elevator. 
With this queer-looking machine, M. Santos- Du- 
mont was actually able to fly. 

One cannot pass on to other constructional fea- 
tures without paving a tribute to the courage and 
assiduous work of this pioneer of aviation. 

M. Santos-Dumont has worked strenuously to 
perfect the flying machine. First one found him 
experimenting with a great number of dirigible 
balloons. With these he had many miraculous 
escapes from death. On one occasion, he finished 
a rather ill-fated flight on a house-top in Paris, 
where he slid down a wall, and so escaped injury. 

One of the characteristics of this Brazilian 
airman has been his great agility. One could 
not very well imagine a man better suited for 
experimental work with flying machines. He is 
light, extraordinarily active, and with practically 
no nerves at all. 



EARLY WORK IN EUROPE 27 

Recently, as readers may know, he has been de- 
voting himself to the perfection of an extraordi- 
narily compact and interesting monoplane, which 
has been christened the " Demoiselle." This is 
the smallest machine of its kind ever built. At 
first glance it seems a very tricky machine to 
have to fly. In fact, one critic, whom I heard 
discussing it, said, " It would require an acro- 
bat like Santos-Dumont to do much with this 
machine." 

This criticism, however, is rather disproved by 
the fact that other pilots, notably M. Audemars, 
have been able to fly quite well on this machine. 
As a matter of fact, however, its small size ren- 
ders it a somewhat difficult machine to manipu- 
late. But to see Santos-Dumont flying upon this 
machine which has been described as " a pocket- 
handkerchief in the air," is a revelation of man's 
dexterity. Without doubt M. Santos Dumont 
will be heard of still further, in the field of avia- 
tion. He is the type of man to succeed. 

Now we will turn again to two personalities 
which stand out, and will always do so, in the 
annals of flying. I refer to the tw r o famous 
brothers, Orville and Wilbur Wright. It w^ould 
be hard to find two more interesting men. First 
let us take Wilbur. Here you have a man com- 
pletely engrossed in his work. He is tall, with an 
impassive face. Nothing can move him from the 
path he has chosen. He is quite unemotional. He 



28 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

has learned, by bitter experience, that in the de- 
velopment of flying one must always be ready to 
meet irritating checks with a calm demeanor. 

His brother Orville is equally ^distinctive. 
Here you have a smaller man of a rather differ- 
ent type. Orville is a little more demonstrative 
than his brother Wilbur. He might be said to 
supply the enthusiasm that Wilbur lacks. It is 
most interesting to imagine these two brothers 
working together. Wilbur would be cold, calcu- 
lating, and quite unmoved. Orville would be 
more full of life and interest, and ready to supply 
the eagerness, and what one might call human 
feeling, that his brother lacks. In setting forth 
upon the conquest of the air these two brothers 
commenced an almost superhuman undertaking. 

In quite a humble way they began their experi- 
ments. They were determined that nothing 
should turn them from their purpose. They were 
equally determined that they would show no im- 
patience, however long it might take them to solve 
the great problem. They also made another 
heroic resolve. They decided that they would dis- 
card all previous theory regarding the construc- 
tion of an aeroplane. After reading every book* 
that had been written on the subject, and studying 
all the designs of experimental machines, they 
began their own work with absolutely open minds. 

One of the most useful things these two won- 
derful brothers decided to do, was to gain experi- 



EARLY WORK IN EUROPE 29 

ence of the air by making gliding flights with 
small types of aeroplanes unequipped with motive 
power. Gliding, as this form of amusement is 
now called, is extremely useful to anybody who 
seeks to become an airman. 

The sport is enjoyed in this way. A miniature 
-aeroplane is constructed which will either glide off 
a rail into the air, or which can be towed forward 
by men, with the pilot in it, until it has gained 
sufficient speed to start away on a gliding flight. 
To carry out gliding experiments properly one 
requires a hill with a gentle slope on one side of 
it. Granted this, what one does is to start one's 
glide from the top of the hill. Released, either 
from its rail, or by being given impetus by men 
who hold it, the model aeroplane glides away 
down the hill side, generally not more than a 
few feet from the ground, until finally touching 
ground. 

The length of a glide is generally determined 
by the strength of the wind that is blowing. If a 
glide is begun against a fairly steady wind it may 
be possible for the aerial experimenter to continue 
moving smoothly through the air without any; 
motive power for several hundred feet. 

The value of such work can readily be seen. 
One can, by such inexpensive means, gain a prac- 
tical knowledge of the way in which the levers of 
a flying machine must be moved, in order to con- 
trol it when in flight. 



30 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

It is much easier to learn to fly in the early 
stages by means of a glider, than it is to begin 
right away to pilot a power-driven aeroplane. It 
would, in fact, be much wiser for beginners to 
do a course of gliding practice, than to come 
straight away to a school, and begin at once to 
experiment with an aeroplane fitted with an 



engine. 



But this is an impatient age. Men want to do 
things quickly, and after the first problem was 
solved it would be considered a waste of time for 
intending pilots to do this kk course " of gliding. 
But several men have profited very greatly by 
going through a course of gliding. Notably, one 
can mention the late Hon. C. S. Rolls. 

Long before he trusted himself at the levers of 
a power-driven Wright machine, he had been 
practising for months, upon a suitable hill, with 
a gliding apparatus. One may, I think, attribute 
a great deal of the thoroughness of the Wright 
brothers' flying to the fact that they went thus 
into the theory of aeroplaning by their practice 
with gliders. The machine they evolved was cer- 
tainly the fruit of their gliding work. 

First of all, in fact, they built a model machine 
with two main-planes, a small double elevator, 
and a twin rudder behind, and towed it as a kite 
in order to see what lifting powers it possessed. 
By such experiments as this, they were able to 
form their own opinion as to what was the most 



EARLY WORK IN EUROPE 31 

efficient curve or " camber " on the planes to ob- 
tain a maximum lift. Gradually, in this way, they 
worked out all their theories, toiling on alone, and 
with intense concentration. The most extraor- 
dinary feature about the pioneer work of these 
two brothers was their patience. Months and 
months went by, with only trifling advances being 
made; their actual opportunities of flying were 
few, but still they persevered, proceeding in a per- 
fectly logical way. 

From kites they gained sufficient experience to 
embark upon the construction of gliders. Lying 
prone in these machines at first and afterwards 
sitting upright to control their levers, these two 
brothers studied every movement of the gliders 
while they were in flight. 

They saw where the control could be improved, 
or where the weights could be altered, to give the 
machine greater stability. The result of this ex- 
perimental work was that they had a most care- 
fully thought-out machine to hand, by the time 
they were prepared to fix to it an engine. 

Nor was this all. They had, in addition to the 
machine, an extraordinarily good knowledge of 
the air. What this may mean only those w 7 ho 
have flown know. They installed in their ma- 
chines a most efficient system of control. With 
one lever they could make their machine ascend 
or descend, and with the other they were able, 
with a dual movement, to turn the machine round, 



32 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

and also correct any falling movement from side 
to side. 

Their first flights will be ever memorable. The 
reception of them by the world was typical. Nat- 
urally, seeing that for centuries men had striven 
in vain to fly, nobody would believe that these 
two men had at last solved the great problem. 

Not only was their machine a model of simpli- 
city, but the engine they designed to propel it was 
equally uncomplicated. An outstanding feature 
of all the work performed by these wonderful 
brothers is to me what one may call their respect 
for the air. Although no men have had a 
better opportunity to become accustomed to aerial 
flight, never once have they shown any trace of 
carelessness. 

Familiarity with the air is, I think, one of 
the most potent factors of danger in connection 
with flying. Wilbur Wright's great delibera- 
tion has always been one of his most striking 
characteristics. 

When he first went to France to give exhibi- 
tions of flying, this slow and sure method cre- 
ated, at first, some amusement, and afterwards 
some irritation. Nothing would induce him to 
hurry. Nothing would persuade him to make a 
flight, until he was prepared to do so. 

He discarded all arguments and protestations. 
He knew the air. Those who often asked him to 
fly did not. Therefore he knew best. Before 



EARLY WORK IN EUROPE 33 

making a flight in these early days, Wilbur 
Wright would go very methodically over every 
part of his machine. One of two of those people, 
who were sufficiently favored to see some of his 
early flights, have told me many interesting 
stories of their experiences. 

Large crowds would assemble outside and 
around the flying ground. The day, perhaps, was 
perfect. Presently, with great deliberation Wil- 
bur Wright, who, like a faithful airman, slept 
beside his machine and took all his meals in the 
shed w T ith it, would order it to be wheeled forth. 
There was never any hurry. Very, very slowly, 
the machine would be brought into the open. To 
the watching crowds, impatient to see the wonder- 
ful spectacle of a man in flight, all these prepara- 
tions were dreadfully wearisome. 

But this did not matter in the least to Wilbur 
Wright. Whistling in a way which was said to 
be peculiarly irritating to those on the tiptoe of 
expectation, the airman would walk negligently 
round and round his machine for many minutes, 
touching a wire here and a strut there. Then he 
would test the control mechanism time after time. 
After another interval, he would direct the engine 
to be started. Then, sitting in the pilot's seat, he 
would listen to the way in which the engine ran 
for another long period. 

Eventually, when the spectators had arrived 
at a veritable fever of impatience, he would grace- 



34 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

fully take the air. Naturally there was a very 
considerable method in this madness. The result 
of it can be seen to-day. Where death has 
claimed more than one pilot who began to fly 
since their day, these two brothers are still alive 
and well, and capable of a very great and useful 
work. The moral of their way of going to work 
is this; they knew from their own experience 
that no liberties can be taken with the air. 

Now let us turn to France. Here we find two 
pioneers of great purpose. I refer to Voisin 
brothers. Their first machine, constructed after 
many months of patient work, was a highly inter- 
esting one. It would now be considered both 
clumsy and slow, but in those early days it was 
quite a wonderful machine. 

It is curious to think that we have already 
reached, with flying, a stage when we can look 
back pitifully upon the groping work of the be- 
ginners. The characteristic of this first Yoisin 
machine, when looked at in the light of our ex- 
perience of to-day, was the long run it required 
before it would rise from the ground. It was 
such a big and heavy-looking biplane that the 
people who came to see it declared emphatically 
that it would never rise from the ground. It was 
difficult, indeed, for this machine, with its metal 
parts and heavy engine, to rise into the air and 
fly. When it mounted, it was a revelation to 
those who saw the flight. 



EARLY WORK IN EUROPE 35 

When one considers the first flights of the 
v Voisin machine there is introduced upon the stage 
of aviation a very notable person, in the figure 
of Mr. Henry Farman. It is interesting to re- 
member what he was, before he became world- 
famed as an airman. Mr. Farman had been in- 
terested in sport from his very early days. He 
was a notable cycle rider, and took part, w r ith suc- 
cess, in many of the great contests that character- 
ized the boom in cycling. Afterwards, he turned 
his attention to motor-car driving, and took part 
in many of the great races, driving high-powered 
cars with great skill and calmness. 

He w r as, therefore, eminently suited to take up 
this new sport of flying. And now one's mind is 
carried, inevitably, to the first scenes at Issy-les- 
Moulineaux, where the Voisin biplane, piloted by 
Mr. Henry Farman, made its initial flights. I 
do not think any one could picture a more dra- 
matic scene than this. Here were the machine, 
and the man who was to fly it, and a crowd of 
people watching, who, while they hoped that the 
aeroplane would fly, were very much afraid that 
it would not do so. 

Then the wonder came. The machine actually 
flew. The enthusiasm, at even a flight of a few r 
yards, was wonderful. Crowds of people leaned 
down, in order to be able to see the moment when 
the wheels of the aeroplane lifted from the 
ground. Directly they did so, there was a roar of 



36 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

cheering. Of course these flights, at first, were 
very brief, and were only carried out at a height 
of a few feet above the ground. But still they 
were wonderful enough. 

People who saw this first Voisin biplane actu- 
ally in the air will never forget the sight. What 
Mr. Henry Farman did at first was to make a 
ries of straight flights al< >ng the gr< >und, only a few 
feet in the air, until he became quite accustomed 
to the manipulation of the machine. The great 
difficulty he found was in attempting to make a 
turn in the air. ( )n many 0C( i . when he tried 

to do this, the machine showed a tendency to de- 
scend towards the ground. Mr. Farman had 
make man)- attempts before he performed a hi 
circle. I !e managed to do so by rising a good deal 
before he came to make the turn, so that the ma- 
chine did not touch the ground, when it began to 
lower itself in the air, as the descending motion 
was made. 

Delagrange is the next famous liver to whom I 
will make reference. Delagrange was a sculptor. 
When flying began to he talked about, in its early 
days, the enthusiasm of Delagrange was Tired. 
He decided that he must become a flying man. 
He went to the Brothers Voisin, and made an ar- 
rangement with them to try one of their machines. 

His first flights with it were extremely good. 
Afteiwvards, becoming a great advocate of the 
speed of aeroplanes, he w r as induced to try a mon- 



EARLY WORK IN EUROPE 37 

oplane. : machine he chose was a Bleriot. 

His desire to increase the speed of his flight, 
which he reckoned to be the only method of com- 
bating high winds, led him to fit to this mono- 
plane a Gnome motor of 50 horse-power. This 
power was more than had been previously applied 
to any monoplane. 

With this engine at Doncaster, in the autumn 
of 1909, Delagrange succeeded in flying at a pace 
of fifty miles an hour. This created a world's 
record. Subsequently, taking the same machine 
to Bordeaux, Delagrange carried out a number 
of further tests. In making one flight in rather 
a high wind, he met with a disaster which cost him 
his life. 

What happened exactly no one can say. While 
flying at a fairly low elevation, the wing of his 
machine was seen to collapse. The machine 
was dashed to the ground and Delagrange, one 
of the great pioneers of aviation, was robbed 
of his life. 

Now let me refer again to the work performed 
by Henry Farman. Not long after he had 
achieved his first triumphs upon the Voisin bi- 
plane, this hard-working experimenter decided 
that he would endeavor to construct a machine 
according to his own ideas. The result was a 
biplane which was certainly in advance of any- 
thing that had been seen before. In comparison 
with the Voisin machine, which Farman had been 



38 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

flying, the biplane he built was lighter, had a more 
efficient chassis, and was fitted with several other 
improvements, notably " ailerons " or small bal- 
ancing planes, which were designed to give the 
machine a better facility for correcting any side- 
way movement while flying. Altogether, the first 
Farman biplane was an extremely workmanlike 
construction. It was particularly interesting also, 
seeing that it represented the practical idea of a 
practical flyer. Farman was a pilot before he was 
a constructor. Therefore his machine had in it 
many practical ideas which previous models, the 
work of constructors only, and not flyers, had 
lacked. His success with this machine was 
remarkable. 

Not only did he himself achieve triumphs upon 
it, but his fame brought him a great many pupils, 
who soon became proficient in handling the ma- 
chine, and added to its reputation by the flights 
they made upon it. As a matter of fact, Farman 
presents one of the most interesting personalities 
in the whole world of flying. His ability as a 
pilot is scarcely well enough understood. For 
one thing, he possesses judgment that is almost 
superhuman, and like the Wright brothers he has 
patience that can never be flurried. 

There are, indeed, few men in the world who 
possess these rare characteristics to the same ex- 
tent.. It is a fact, too, that when a man of a more 
impatient temperament takes to flying, he has to 



EARLY WORK IN EUROPE 39 

run a far greater risk of accidents. Farman's 
record, in the way of accidents, is, considering 
the amount of flying which he has done, extraor- 
dinarily good. One peculiarity of this famous 
airman is that he never flies any higher than he 
considers necessary. A point to illustrate this 
occurs to me in connection w T ith the great Rheims 
meeting of 1909. 

Here, in making his record of over three hours 
in the air, Farman flew extraordinarily low. In 
fact, he seemed to rise and fall in the air, over 
every little hill and valley as he sped round the 
great course. Undoubtedly Farman represents 
one of the most scientific flyers of the day, and 
he is even more than a flyer. He is a deep thinker, 
and his one idea is to improve his machine. He 
is never content to stand still, and above all he 
never seems carried away by any wild outbursts 
of enthusiasm when he has achieved anything 
particularly noteworthy in the way of a flight. 

He is the type of man who is always quietly 
hopeful and very industrious. What Farman has 
done for the science of aviation few people real- 
ize. One of his most characteristic actions is the 
way in which he cautions pupils against taking 
unnecessary risks. He is always keen to prevent 
men from " taking chances " in regard to flying. 

Many stories are quoted, in this respect, of wild 
and daring pupils who have come to his flying 
school at Chalons. There w r as, for instance, the 



40 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

case of Efimoff, a Russian of remarkable charac- 
teristics who came to learn to fly, backed by a 
syndicate of financiers. Efimoff knew no word 
of any language save Russian. He was perfectly 
fearless, and it was his intention to learn to fly 
as speedily as possible. To the amazement of his 
instructors, he attempted aerial dives and rapid 
ascents almost before he had mastered the con- 
trol of his machine. 

Naturally, with a man taking such risks as 
these, an accident was sure to come. He had one, 
which might have been very serious, had it not 
been for his own remarkable presence of mind. 
In making an ascent one day, he took his machine 
up in the air at too steep an angle. It stood still, 
and then fell backwards towards the ground, tail 
first. At the moment it was at a height of about 
ioo feet. During the brief descent Efimoff did a 
most remarkable thing. 

He forsook his seat and scrambled to a place 
of greater safety, with the result that, although 
the aeroplane was wrecked, he himself escaped 
without injury. 

Another tale that should be told concerns an 
English pupil at the Farman school, Mr. Raw- 
linson. He had fitted to his biplane an engine of 
unusual power. The first time he climbed into 
it and set off across the ground, this engine exer- 
cised so much power that it literally forced the 
aeroplane up into the air. 



EARLY WORK IN EUROPE 41 

Practically, without his own intention, Mr. 
Rawlinson found himself flying at the very first 
time of asking. Not only did he find himself in 
the air, but he also found a considerable difficulty 
in getting back to earth again. His machine 
actually flew a distance of three kilometers before 
he was able to get it back on to the ground. This 
was certainly a remarkable flight for a beginner, 
but *in t^ose early days of the Farman school 
qaany strange things were accomplished. f Th^re 
was a little hotel at Chalons, where the aviators 
who were learning to fly stayed, and here, too, 
Farman, their instructor, used to live and give 
them words of wisdom when they met at meals. 
There was a most curious fascination about this 
rough and simple life. 

The Voisin brothers, after their early efforts 
in the construction of machine, made steady prog- 
ress. They soon attempted to improve upon their 
first flyer. The result was a biplane which was 
both faster and lighter. These famous brothers 
are still experimenting. 



CHAPTER III 

THE FIRST HISTORIC FLIGHT FROM FRANCE 
TO ENGLAND 

One of the most interesting aspects of flying, 

to the ordinary reader, is the story of the mem- 
orable performances that have been achieved by 
the world's flyers. I have carefully collected a 
good many of these narratives, generally obtained 
in conversation with the flyers themselves, or 
from people who have seen the feats recorded. 
In this section of my book I propose to deal with 
some of the most remarkable adventures which 
have befallen the pilots of aeroplanes. The first 
will be M. Louis Bleriot's memorable flight across 
the English Channel on a summer's morning in 
1909. 

M. Bleriot came to Calais directly after he had 
heard that M. Latham, in attempting the cro 
channel flight, had fallen into the sea. At this 
time, M. Bleriot, after a good deal of trouble 
with aeroplane engines, had found one, a three- 
cylinder Anzani motor, which had begun to oper- 
ate very well. Upon this machine, a day or so 
before he came to the coast, M. Bleriot had per- 
formed several remarkable cross-country flights. 

42 



THE FIRST HISTORIC FLIGHT 43 

His aeroplane was an extremely interesting one. 
It was a monoplane which he had evolved after 
several years of the most painstaking experi- 
ments. The result of the building of a number 
of machines had led him at last to produce one of 
an extreme simplicity. 

It had two planes, fitted upon either side of a 
tapering body, like those of a bird. In the bow 
of the machine was the motor, actuating a two- 
bladed propeller of the tractor kind. The pilot 
sat in the body of the machine, between the planes, 
and towards the rear edges of them. 

Behind him, at the extremity of the tail, were 
two planes to act as elevators, and the rudder. 
The control of the machine in flight was exceed- 
ingly simple. One lever, working on a universal 
joint, operated through wires the warping of the 
wings which gave the machine lateral stability, 
and also the two planes at the tail which caused 
the monoplane to rise into the air. 

For the control of the rudder a cross-bar was 
set near the pilot's feet, and this he operated by 
moving it to and fro. 

M. Bleriot left his machine at the railway sta- 
tion at Calais while he sought for a suitable spot 
to house it preparatory to making his flight. He 
chose a shed near an open stretch of grass land 
close to the sea at the little village of Les Ba- 
raques, not more than a couple of miles from 
Calais. 



44 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

Latham, his rival, who had been at Calais for 
some weeks previously, had housed his machine 
in a tent on the side of Blanc Nez, some distance 
farther from Calais, and near an old ruined 
power-house which had been used in connection 
with the project to bore a tunnel between England 
and France. 

M. Bleriot's preparations for the flight were 
very simple. . He arranged for a torpedo-de- 
stroyer to follow him across the water, had his 
machine erected and tested, and then waited for 
favorable weather. In those days flying in winds 
was practically unknown. It was reckoned that 
the Channel could only be crossed in practically 
a dead calm. Latham had been waiting wearily 
for his first chance. When the wind was not loo 
high it was found that there was fog - . Rain 
squalls and sudden gusts also came to prevent 
flights. The channel weather indeed proved a 
curious study. By means of wireless telegraphy, 
the cliff at Sangatte and the Lord Warden Hotel 
at Dover were in constant communication. It 
was more than once discovered that when the 
sun w T as shining at Dover there was a rain storm 
at Calais, and vice versa. The real trouble, as 
regards these early attempts to fly the channel, 
was the fact that a wind would spring up in only 
a few minutes. 

In Hubert Latham's first attempt, made early 
on quite a perfect mornings the electrical equip- 



THE FIRST HISTORIC FLIGHT 45 

ment of his engine gave trouble, and he had to 
descend in the water after flying only about 12 
miles. Then we come to Bleriot's remarkable 
flight, performed soon after dawn on July 25, 
1909. There had been a curious meeting between 
the rival airmen on the previous evening. With 
the captains of the torpedo-boats which were to 
follow them across channel, they came together 
at the Terminus Hotel, and enjoyed a friendly 
chat for some time. 

One of the questions debated was whether the 
next day — Sunday — should be regarded as a 
blank, and no flying undertaken upon it. Latham 
was quite willing to regard Sunday as an off-day. 
But Bleriot, who seemed particularly anxious to 
make his attempt as soon as possible, said that 
he should fly the next day if the weather was fine. 
He was probably influenced in making this deci- 
sion by reports which were brought to, him indi- 
cating that the next morning would very likely be 
clear and fine. 

After the airmen had separated, M. Bleriot 
went to bed at the Terminus Hotel with instruc- 
tions that he should be called at 2.30 a. m. This 
was done, and the weather then w r as found to be 
absolutely calm. Whereupon, M. Bleriot decided 
that he would start upon his flight at sunrise— ■ 
which was at about half past four. 

The extraordinary courage of this remarkable 
pilot w r as w r ell evidenced after he had made his 



46 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

decision to fly. He ate a hearty breakfast, and 
then motored to Les Baraques. He was quite 
cheerful and confident of his success. The most 
remarkable feature of this enterprise was the fact 
that, at the time he undertook the cross-channel 
flight, he was a cripple. A week or so before, 
while carrying out some tests with his monoplane, 
he had severely burnt his foot. Thus on the 
morning that he flew the channel he was still 
unable to put to the ground. 

Therefore, the few spectators who saw the 
start of this memorable (light witnessed the curi- 
ous spectacle of the airman hobbling on his 
crutches to the side of his machine, throwing them 
aside, and clambering stiffly into his driving seat. 

When Bleriot and his little party arrived at 
Les Baraques there was some time to wait before 
a start could be made for the flight, seeing that 
the rules laid it down that there must he no com- 
mencement until sunrise. M. Bleriot instructed 
his mechanics to bring the monoplane from its 
shed. He then said that he would make a trial 
flight. It was an amazing thing to those watch- 
ing him, to see the ease with which this expert 
pilot maneuvered his small craft. 

It rose in the air after a very short run along 
the ground.. M. Bleriot flew out towards the sea, 
made a half circle, and returned to his starting 
point, announcing that the machine was in perfect 
flying order. Then there came a wait. 



THE FIR^ST HISTORIC FLIGHT 47 

At the hour of sunrise exactly, the airman 
waved aside the men holding his machine and 
passed off over the sand hills towards the sea, 
which was now enshrouded by rather a thick 
mist. 

Another factor against the airman, also, was 
a rising breeze. When he had first come to the 
shed, Bleriot had found it almost calm. But, 
while he had been waiting, a faint breeze had 
freshened to a little wind, and those who watched 
the sea saw small " white-horses " forming upon 
it through the power of the wind near its surface. 

This rising of the wind was pointed out to 
M. Bleriot. He made little of it, however. His 
view, very clearly expressed, was that oppor- 
tunities of crossing the channel was so rare 
that any reasonably good chance should not be 
missed. 

Bleriot crossed over the sand-hills, and passed 
out to sea at an elevation of about 200 feet. 
Lying some miles off shore was the French tor- 
pedo boat destroyer Escopette. 

By a pre-arranged signal she was informed of 
the airman's start. Directly this news came she 
turned, and steamed as fast as possible towards 
Dover, so as not only to rescue the airman, should 
he fall into the water, but also to act as a guide 
for him in steering his course. 

But, although the Escopette was a very fast 
boat, the extraordinary rapid progress of the air- 



48 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

man made her appear to be moving very slowly. 
When only a few miles on his way, M. Bleriot 
found himself flying directly over the decks of 
the destroyer. It had been arranged, in his chat 
with the captain, that if he found himself flying 
too fast, the airman should circle round in order 
not to lose sight of the destroyer. 

But it is clear that M. Bleriot, once he found 
himself over the channel, and committed to his 
perilous journey, did not feel inclined to wait 
about. At any rate, he forged ahead, and al- 
though the Escopcttc steamed on at her utmost 
pace, those on board her had completely lost 
sight of the monoplane before mid-channel was 
reached. 

With the torpedo-destroyer out of sight be- 
hind him, and with no vessels appearing on the 
surface of the water ahead, this courageous man 
flew on. Exactly what his bravery meant it is 
well to remember. Eitted to his monoplane, be- 
fore he had started upon the flight, was a long 
air-bag. This was intended to keep the mono- 
plane afloat should it fall into the water. But the 
efficacy of the air-bag was doubtful. Experts 
generally agreed, in fact, that the machine would 
not, had it fallen into the sea, kept afloat for more 
than a few minutes. 

The pilot himself, had he found himself in the 
water, would have been in a hopeless condition, 
seeing that his bad foot made him temporarily a 



THE FIRST HISTORIC FLIGHT 49 

cripple. And, early on this summer morning, 
there was remarkably little shipping in the 
channel. 

Therefore, in this endeavor of his to win the 
Daily Mail £1,000 prize, M. Bleriot, beyond all 
question, took his life into his hands. He had 
started the flight with some distant and misty 
view of the English shore, but, soon after he had 
left the torpedo-destroyer behind, the sea fog into 
which he went, as he passed across the water, 
robbed him of all sight of his destination. 

The position of this lonely airman can be 
imagined. Bitterly cold, and with a fierce rush 
of wind in his eyes, he found himself flying over 
the water with absolutely nothing to guide him, 
and with no friendly ship or sail in sight. He felt 
none of the confidence in his motor that is expe- 
rienced by present-day airmen. 

All his previous experiments had shown him 
that engines were not to be relied upon. To get 
one to keep turning for half an hour was, at the 
time Bleriot made his flight, quite a notable 
achievement. The pilot knew, in this connection, 
that a flight of at least half an hour, and prob- 
ably more, would be necessary before he passed 
over dry land again. His thoughts can, therefore, 
be better imgained than described. 

To his credit, as one of the most daring pilots 
in the world, it may be said that he kept on un- 
flinchingly. For one terrible period of ten min- 



50 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

utes, M. Bleriot was completely lost in the sea 
mist. Neither he, nor those to whom he has told 
the story of this ten minutes of suspense, are 
likely to forget the incident. 

He had in his mind a definite idea of the direc- 
tion in which Dover lay, and he did his best to 
keep to that course, although he had no means 
of telling what leeway he was making. As he 
flew on, his attention was entirely taken up by the 
manipulation of his machine. His car was con- 
stantly turned, also, to detect whether there was 
any suggestion of flag or fail on the part of his 
motor. 

Fortunately for M. Bleriot his engine did not 
give trouble once during the course <>t the (light. 
Maintaining his altitude very well, but much 
baffled by the growing strength of the wind, the 
airman flew on through the mist. When he 
emerged, eventually, on the other side of it, he 
was delighted to see the vague shape of cliffs 
some considerable distance ahead of him. After 
some half hour's flying he was near enough to 
the shore to make a brief survey of the land ahead. 
He then discovered that he must have made an 
error in direction whilst flying across channel. 
It was not Dover, with its conspicuous castle, 
which lay before him, but a desolate stretch of 
cliffs. Quite correctly, having in view the direc- 
tion of the wind, M. Bleriot divined that he had 
been carried too much to the north-east, and was 



THE FIRST HISTORIC FLIGHT 51 

approaching the coast at a distance of some miles 
above Dover. 

Waiting until he had got fairly close to the 
cliffs, the pilot turned, and flew back towards 
Dover. It was at this point that the supreme 
struggle of the flight began. As he had been 
flying across channel the wind had been steadily 
rising. Now it blew with some violence. 

Gusts swept out from the land, and made the 
airman's craft rock perilously. But M. Bleriot, 
always a determined man, had more determina- 
tion than ever now. With every faculty en- 
grossed w T ith his fight against the wind, he 
flew on. 

In a minute or so Dover came in sight. The 
question now arose as to where he should make 
his landing. He was not flying, at the end of his 
adventurous journey, so high as he had been in 
mid-channel. The wind had been gradually beat- 
ing him down, so, as he neared his goal, he de- 
cided that it would be unwise, in view of his re- 
duced height, to attempt a landing where he had 
originally intended — on the Shakespeare Cliff. 

Instead, he steered quickly in through a break 
in the cliffs, and actually came to rest not far 
from Dover Castle. His descent was the most 
risky part of the whole undertaking. As he came 
close to the cliff, one treacherous wind gust after 
another assailed him. The few people who were 
privileged to see the arrival of the aeroplane on 



52 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

English soil were terrified when they observed 
its violent movements as it was caught by the 
wind gusts. 

Choosing a smooth piece of grass for his de- 
scending point M. Bleriot came planing down. 
As he did so, however, three or four especially 
violent gusts of wind caught his machine. It was 
actually spun round three times, like a top, before 
it touched earth. Then, making a bad landing, 
as might have been supposed, the airman dam- 
aged the under carriage of his machine, and 
broke the propeller. 

As the machine — the first visitor of this kind 
to English shores — landed upon this quiet Sun- 
day morning, the airman climbed stiffly from bis 
seat. One curious thing was noticed by those 
who first reached the spot. Despite the fact that 
it was an exceedingly cold morning, and every- 
body was glad of an overcoat, M. Bleriot — who 
wore nothing but a pair of overalls over bis 
ordinary clothes — was seen to be bathed in 
perspiration. 

This, in itself, was a sufiicient indication of the 
strain through which he had passed. It had been 
a wonderful feat, performed with extraordinary 
daring. Such a flight may not seem much to us 
in these days, when the Channel has been crossed 
seven times. 

In fact, very little significance attaches now to 
the crossing of this piece of water. So reliable 



THE FIRST HISTORIC FLIGHT 53 

have aeroplane engines become that the feat can 
now be undertaken with comparatively little risk. 
But M. Bleriot was a pioneer. He braved un- 
known dangers. Dreadful vertical currents of 
air were supposed to be lurking in mid-channel. 
It was also unlikely, and he knew it, that his 
engine would run without breaking down during 
the crossing of the Channel. 



CHAPTER IV 

THE FIRST OF THE FLYING SCHOOLS 

Before the cross-channel flight biplanes — as 
representing the best type of aircraft — had had 
it almost entirely their own way. The mono- 
plane was regarded as being a highly dangerous 
and very experimental machine. Those who, 
like Bleriot, devoted themselves to it were looked 
upon as cranks. But the (light from France to 
England altered all this. From heing an ex- 
perimenter, with no demand for his output, M. 
Bleriot found himself compelled to build mono- 
planes as quickly as possible in order to meet the 
demand that arose. 

He quickly enlarged his works in Paris. He 
gave large orders for Anzani motors. He 
speedily found it necessary to open a flying 
school at Pau. Here, anxious to learn to handle 
this wonderfully compact little machine, came 
•pupils from all over the world. 

It was, indeed, remarkable what an impetus 
was given to aviation by this flight. It seemed 
as though, for the first time, the w r orld had re- 

54 



FIRST OF THE FLYING SCHOOLS 55 

alized that the aeroplane might become something 
more than a scientific toy. 

Longer flights had been made before. Indeed, 
before he came to Calais for the flight, Bleriot 
himself had made a magnificent cross-country 
flight on his monoplane. But all previous feats 
faded into insignificance when compared with 
this remarkable performance of crossing the 
channel. 

From the obscurity of being a little-known 
machine, the Bleriot monoplane, with its small- 
ness and simplicity, became the universal won- 
der. At Pau, when Bleriot's school began to 
get into full swing, curious scenes were wit- 
nessed. On fine days, it was no uncommon 
thing for ten or fifteen beginners to be out with 
their machines at the same time. Naturally, 
seeing that learning to fly is a very tricky busi- 
ness, there were many accidents. More than one 
of the pupils damaged his machine when first 
taking it out by attempting to make tpo sharp a 
turn, when running about the ground, with the 
result that the monoplane turned over sideways, 
and broke its wing. 

It was surprising, however, that very few seri- 
ous accidents were recorded during these first at- 
tempts of pupils to learn to fly. The chief point 
of safety lay in the fact that a monoplane, 
such as they were using, could fall very heavily, 
and damage itself severely, without in any way 
injuring the pilot. 



56 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLAXL 

On more than one occasion, being too eager to 
make progress, a beginner fell with his machine, 
not from any considerable height, but with suffi- 
cient momentum to wreck it utterly. Persons 
who have not realized how the shock of a fall was 
absorbed by the breaking of various parts of the 
machine, imagine that the pilot must be either 
killed or seriously injured. 

To their surprise, however, he emerged from 
the wreckage quite unhurt. The explanation of 
this immunity from accident can be made quite 
clear. When a monoplane dives suddenly to 
earth, at a dangerous angle, the wheels first 
strike the ground and probably break. Then 
the lower framework of the under-carriage takes 
the shock, and usually some of its members 
break. Afterwards, the propeller catches the 
ground and breaks. 

Even then there is a great deal of stout wood- 
work to be fractured before the body of the 
machine, in which the pilot sits, can be reached. 
Thus it is that long before the airman is in 
danger of coming into contact with the ground 
most of the shock of the fall has been exhausted. 

Some very queer scenes were witnessed at the 
Pau aviation school. The idiosyncrasies of the 
various pupils were amusingly displayed. I had 
a good opportunity of seeing what was done 
here, in the early stages of flying schools, seeing 
that I had myself started a school for British 
aviators at this place. 



FIRST OF THE FLYING SCHOOLS 57 

What many of the pupils failed to realize was 
the absolute urgency of becoming thoroughly 
acquainted with the mechanism of their machine 
before attempting any flight, however short. 
When the instructor laid this rule before them, 
they appeared to understand it perfectly, but 
immediately they were in the machine and " roll- 
ing " about on the aerodrome quite a number of 
them appeared to throw caution to the wind. 

Generally, the antics of a beginner who sought 
to fly before he was ready to do so were as fol- 
lows : After tearing about the ground at a great 
speed he would suddenly move the tail planes so 
as to lift the machine into the air. 

This operation requires to be very delicately 
accomplished. If too much violence is used, the 
machine leaps up into the air in an alarming way. 
Instead, however, of elevating very gently, more 
than one of these ardent beginners pulled over 
the lever with a sudden and excited wrench. 

The result was extremely startling to them. 
Instead of soaring up a foot or two into the air, 
as they imagined they would do, they suddenly 
felt the monoplane bound up into the air. Before 
they knew what had happened they were at a 
height of twenty or thirty feet. This, naturally, 
had a very disconcerting effect upon a man who 
had never been off the ground before in an 
aeroplane. 

What might have been expected then hap- 



58 THE STORY OF THE AEROWLANE 

pened. The pilot made a reverse movement just 
as rapidly as he had ascended. The result was 
that the monoplane suddenly dived forward, and 
became an utter wreck in a moment. It was 
quaint to see the astonished pilot emerge from 
the ruins of his machine. 

He looked very perplexed as a rule, and was 
very penitent for having infringed one of the 
most important rules of the school. Another 
fruitful source of accident was the stoppage of 
his engine by a nervous beginner when making 
a flight. When seeing himself approaching a 
bad piece of ground, or in danger of colliding 
with some other machine, more than one pupil 
who had advanced to the Stage of flying moder- 
ately well quite close to the ground, completely 
lost his head. 

Instead of turning, or rising a little higher, 
as the case might he, he switched off hi- engine 
in a panic. The result was, in many cas< 
that the aeroplane fell to the -round like a stone, 
generally ruining its landing chassis. 

It was no unusual thing, in these early days of 
learning to fly, to see five machines wrecked 
during* an afternoon's work; yet in very few cases 
were the pupils hurt in any way. Apart from this 
ability to have an accident without personal in- 
juries, the pupils at the school found that it was, 
generally speaking, extremely easy to learn to fly. 



CHAPTER V 

THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE AEROPLANE 
ENGINE 

Throughout anything one reads in connecl 
with living a question is continually arising — it 
is the question of the aeroplane engine. With- 
out a suitable propulsive agent we could not have 
reached the stage in flying that we have done 
to-day. One sees how it was the efficiency of 
the engine that at last made possible the Chan- 
nel flight. When one reads the work that was 
done years ago by aeroplane pioneers, one sees 
that their difficulty in every case was not in the 
inventing of planes or in the putting into prac- 
tical form of theories regarding the control of 
planes, but in the one problem of what power 
should be used to thrust them through the air. 

I spent a very interesting hour or two not long 
ago in reading of these early efforts to construct 
aeroplanes, and also in seeing models and designs 
illustrating the ideas of these first pioneers. 

It is an amazing thing to us, looking at things 
from the point of view of the present day, to 
note how very nearly accurate were the theories 
of men studying flight long years ago. One ma- 

59 



60 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

chine I remember was built in the f< 

monoplane. It bore a striking res< 

some of our present-clay machines. In fact it 

went a step further than do some of 

are flying v ith now. 

Instead of being drawn through the air by a 
single tract( r propeller situated at -his 

machine sva hrust f< 

working al the rear t \ >f its plai The 

other < . no- 

planes ell know n 

was v i m £r I with thi idea, tns 
ing hi the air, this u 

maker, with all the experience 
model- a1 I • back, decided that it would be 
very in and instructive t< i hether 

a m< m uld nol fly better with two 

propelling ea I of ne screw drawing it. 

Here, in mcrete example, I -aw the lal 

day in 1 ing hack upon the theory which 

had been evob ed by a man in the days when no 
machine had flown. 

All that cry early livers lacked was their 

engine. If the petrol engine had been perfected 
long- years ago there is no doubt that the world 
would have enjoyed airmanship long before it did. 
It is pathetic almost to read how attempts were 
made to fly with such a power as steam. In one 
famous instance, after spending years perfect- 
ing a piece of mechanism, one inventor succeeded 



THE AEROPLANE ENGINE 

in producing a steam engine which gave i I 
power of energy for every ten pounds of 
weight. 

This was regarded as being an ext 
achievement. It is on record, in fact, that an 
aeroplane equipped with this particular engine 
was actually able to raise itself from the ground. 
But the engine so employed was of a construc- 
tion which prevented its running for any length 
of time. Therefore, even with an engine which 
had its weight so cut down, no very definite 
tests were possible. 

It is instructive to contrast the weight of this 
steam engine with the weight of some of the 
petrol engines which w T e are i ing 

to-day. In one of the most remarkable instances 
of weight reduction we find that an engine de- 
velops i horse-power for every ^A lbs. ' m 
weight. The difference between this and the 
steam engine is indeed striking. It means, as a 
matter of fact, all the difference between flvimj 
and not flying. This, however, is judged from 
the present day aspect of flying, when every 
pound of weight is of great consideration to us.- 

In the future, I have a strong idea, this ques- 
tion of lightness w T ill not play so great a part. 
Already one can detect that there is a tendency 
towards greater weight. It has been found 
that machines can be strengthened here and 
there, and that engines can be made a little more 



62 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLAXE 

solid without any adverse effect upon the Hying 
qualities of the machine. 

Of course, so far as an engine is concerned, 
any increase in weight is advantageous to it. 
The petrol engine has achieved an extraordi- 
nary triumph in being applied so successfully to 
the Hying machine, ll would I icult, e 

if one tried to do so, to find conditions more un- 
favorable than those which are imposed upon die 
petrol engine when it is driving an aeroplai 

On a motor car to-day the engine has, when 
one comes to consider, a fairly easy time. Tt 
runs fast and under a heavy load when it is 
starting a run and it is Operating on its low 
Speed. But soon after it has started its g( 
are changed, and it runs comfortably and in 
peace until a hill is reached. Then, perhaps, it 
may be pul to a ti r a Tew minu 

Afterwards it has a long " ea 
runs down a slope, waned by some more work 
a perfectly comfortable character as it goes on 
again along the level. Thus on a long run, one 
can see that the motor car engine is not working 
at its maximum very often, and when it does so, 
only for a few minutes at a time. If otic took 
one of the best-known engines of the day, and 
ran it for a long period up hill at its first speed, 
it would no doubt, despite very efficient water 
cooling, develop signs of being very hot indeed. 

This explanation is necessary in order that one 



THE AEROPLANE ENGINE 63 

may realize what problems the aeroplane engine 
maker was faced with. In order to maintain a 
flying-machine in the air there is practically, at 
the- present time, no margin of power. One has 
to keep one's engine, in the majority of cases, 
running at almost its full number of revolutions 
in order to maintain the altitude that is required, 
and at the same time to keep one's machine fly- 
ing; at its proper speed. 

There is no question of changing gears. It is 
a fact, however, that more than one maker, en- 
couraged by the improvements in engine con- 
struction, and also by the fact that propellers are 
improving, is beginning to hope that one may be 
able in time to give one's engine a little rest while 
in the air. 

But as things stand at present the engine in 
an aeroplane, from the moment it leaves the 
ground until it descends again, is working at a 
very high pressure. Thus, in the early days of 
flying, the pioneers had a very uncomfortable 
time. Engines were made very much on motor- 
car lines. They were lightened, it is true, as 
much as possible. In many cases they were 
lightened far too much. It is interesting now, 
in view of the progress we have made, to look 
back upon the irritations and annoyances which 
men went through w r ith the early aeroplane 
engines. 

It was then a question of spending days in 



64 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

one's shed* striving to tune up an engine so that 
it would give you, before developing defects 
again, at least a five-minute flight. The margin 
between flying and not flying was very much less 
than it is now. A few revolutions of the engine 
more or less often made all the i nee 

between getting off the ground or rum, 
about furiously upon it The patience that 
was displayed in humoring these early type 
engines was remarkable. 

All. sorts of troubles were developed by them. 
One of the very worst features was the liability 
to overheat after a few minutes' running, and 
thus lose the power they were expected to 
velop. In the ease of motor-cars, where the mar- 
gin of power is great, any little loss from 0\ 
heating is not so important a matter. But in 
the case of these early type aeroplane engines 
the slightest failing or flagging, through getting 
too hot, meant that the pilot had to descend. Un- 
less his engine was developing its maximum 
of power, he was unable to remain aloft. 

This fact was quickly realized by the makers, 
who did all in their power to remedy the defect 
But it was not only a case of overheating with 
these first-flight engines. They suffered 
trouble in connection with their lubrication. 
The problem of lubricating efficiently an aero- 
plane engine was found to be a far more deli- 
cate one than that of oiling an engine for a 






THE AEROPLANE ENGINE 65 

motor-car. As a matter of fact, many engines, 
thoroughly good in other respects, were kept 
back for a long time on account of not having a 
thoroughly reliable system of lubrication. 

And this, even, did not finish the list of things 
that might go wrong. Bearings on engines for 
flying machines had to be cut much more fine in 
regard to weight than was the case with those 
for motor-cars. The result was that in many 
instances these bearings failed to do their work. 
It was not surprising that they should do so. 
There was no previous experience to go upon; 
all the makers knew was that an engine of a cer- 
tain lightness had to be produced, and that this 
lightness must be achieved somehow. So they 
lightened here and lightened there, hoping for 
the best. 

It was not until one bearing after another went 
wrong that they discovered that the strain was 
greater in some places than in others. It is in- 
teresting, in considering these matters, to see 
how engines improved when flying became fairly 
common. In fact, all that the makers wanted 
was experience. As soon as their engines had 
driven flying machines through the air for fairly 
long periods, and pilots were able to give them 
useful data to go upon, they were not slow in 
remedying the defects they thus discovered. 

The great effort that was made in the early 
days was to obtain an engine for flying that 



66 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

should be air-cooled, and not water-cooled. The 
reason why this type of engine was so diligently 
sought was that it could be made very much more 
light than was the case with a water-cooled en- 
gine. The water-cooled engine, as motorists 
know, is extraordinarily efficient. But you have 
to consider that every pound is important when 
you are building an engine for an aeroplane. So 
it can be seen that the extra weight involved by 
water-cooling is a disadvantage. It is a disad- 
vantage, at leaM, if there is any possibility of 
doing without it. 

With the radiator, water-jackets, pumps, and 
pipes that go to the water-cooling system of a 
petrol engine, there is an appalling weight, when 
one has got it into one's mind that an air-cooled 
engine may do the work as well. But the early 
type air-cooled engines were not an unqualified 
success. The work they were called upon t<» d< i 
was, in fact, so exacting that the engines became 
overheated after quite short flights, and their 
power faded away. This meant, of cour 
a compulsory descent. 

In spite of a good deal of failure there were 
many people who would not give up the idea 
that a good air-cooled engine could he de- 
vised. Amongst these were the makers of an 
altogether remarkable engine, known as the 
Gnome. When one comes to consider the de- 
velopment of flying, one is immediately brought 



THE AEROPLANE ENGINE 67 

to a consideration of this particular engine. The 
people who designed this machine had it in their 
minds that the ordinary practice as regards 
engine construction must be thrown on one side 
if a successful engine were to be made for flying 
machines. 

They put out of their minds altogether any idea 
of what had been done before. They were look- 
ing out for something new. They wanted some- 
thing that w r ould be an engine particularly suited 
to the new conditions imposed by mechanical 
flight. 

This engine they found. When first it was 
show r n to pilots of aeroplanes, its reception was 
not altogether enthusiastic. It looked a freak 
engine. It did not seem possible that it could 
run for any length of time without stopping. 
The system of serving it with its petrol, and the 
method of construction internally, seemed to 
prohibit anything in the nature of reliability. 
But the people who launched these criticisms 
against it did not understand the extraordinary 
care of design and the rare type of workmanship 
which had been lavished upon this wonderful 



engine. 



In discussing it, it may be sufficient for me 
to say — in order that the non-technical reader 
may understand me — that the engine w T as so 
built that the seven cylinders with which it was 
equipped revolved round their crank shaft, in- 



68 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLAXE 

stead of the cylinders being stationary and re- 
volving the crank shaft, as is the case with all 
ordinary petrol engine practice. 

The internal complications brought about by 
sending these seven cylinders round the crank 
shaft were, to the engineers who saw then], weird 
and wonderful. The petrol which fed the engine 
could only be introduced into the cylinders by 
passing it through the piston heads. This, in 
itself, seemed to critics to be an altogether wild 
idea. There were other questions too, affecting 
the lubrication of the engine, which seemed 
almost to prohibit its regular use. 

But practical demonstrations soon proved 
critics to be wrong. At the first Rheims meet- 
ing, when the majority of people interested in (ly- 
ing were able to see this remarkable star-sha] 
engine for the first time, it managed to create, 
practically at the first time i>\ asking, the world's 
record for duration of flight. 

Mr. Henry Farman, one of the pioneers of 
aviation, who has always been ready to rec 
nize the value of a new idea, had this engine 
fitted to a Farman biplane, and set out one even- 
ing to lower the record for time in the air. 
To the astonishment of those who knew what a 
revolutionary type of engine he was using, M. 
Farman reeled off lap after lap of the great 
course until he had remained aloft for three 
hours and four minutes. 



THE AEROPLANE EXGIXE 69 

Then all that compelled him to descend was 
the gathering darkness, which prevented the of- 
ficials at the various pylons from being able to 
declare that he had remained in the air during 
each of his circuits. 

Naturally, after this, the Gnome engine began 
to attract a great deal of attention. M. Far- 
man, more convinced than ever that this type of 
engine was necessary for flying work, immedi- 
ately gave large orders for such equipment, and 
turned out his biplanes as a standard pattern 
with Gnome engines installed. He was never 
sorry that he had done so. 

Once they were ' able to have an engine that 
would run reliably, pilots of Farman biplanes 
were able to perform many altogether remark- 
able feats — feats, that is to say, which were re- 
markable in those early days of flying. It was 
not, indeed, until one had such a combination as 
the Farman biplane fitted with the Gnome motor 
that one was able to contemplate such a feat as 
the two-hundred-mile odd flight from London to 
Manchester. 

And yet, when the proper motive power was 
to hand, this flight w r as made without any great 
danger, and almost at the first time of asking. 
The success of the Gnome motor as applied to 
the aeroplane has, indeed, been extraordinary. 
Its effect upon the industry is very hard to de- 
scribe, for the reason that it is so far-reaching 
and important. 



70 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

Although at the first Rheims meeting, when 
the Gnome was introduced, M. Bleriot was 
fitting his monoplanes with engines having 
fixed cylinders, he soon saw the necessity of 
adopting the Gnome. The result was a famous 
combination, which is known as the Gnome- 
Bleriot. 

With this machine, remarkably fast and hav- 
ing a wonderful capacity for ascending quickly 
to great altitudes, daring pilots have carried off 
the majority of the prizes at recent aviation 
meetings. 

The Gnome has been fitted to practically every 
type of aeroplane, and it has worked with a uni- 
formity which has been wonderful. Already 
encouraged by the reliability of their Gnome en- 
gines, pilots are becoming quite surprised .and 
annoyed when any mechanical defect mars 
flight. 

In one step forward, by. the adoption of this 
system of revolving cylinders, the makers of the 
Gnome have dealt a deatli blow to the difficulty 
of keeping an engine cool. With its cylinders 
moving through the air at a speed of some iooo 
revolutions a minute, the Gnome will run on for 
hour after hour without betraying any 
of becoming overheated. As regards its oiling 
it will perform its work with quiet reliability. 
In this regard, though, the engine is found to 
need a far greater quantity of oil than is the case 



THE AEROPLANE ENGINE yi 

with any fixed cylinder engine. Extravagance, 
in this regard, is no doubt one of its bad features. 

But, up to the present, the use of rather a 
surprising quantity of oil has been the price that 
flyers have been only too willing to pay in order 
to obtain reliability. 

In the future, of course, when flying is re- 
garded from a more commercial and not so much 
a spectacular aspect, the engine chosen will no 
doubt be the one which is most economical. 
Then, no doubt, as is the case with motor cars, 
nearly every engine of a flying-machine will pre- 
sent an equal reliability. It will become merely 
a question of which is the best method of con- 
struction for standing wear and tear, and also 
which engine runs for a certain distance, using 
in that distance the minimum of petrol and 
oil. 

In its consumption of petrol, also, the Gnome 
is rather more extravagant than fixed cylinder 
engines. But, as I have said before, its won- 
derful popularity comes from its ability to run 
on while driving an aeroplane without develop- 
ing any defects. 

The secret of its success lies in the fact that 
it is a special creation, specially evolved for a 
special work. Such an engine was needed, and 
needed very badly, by aeroplane makers. Its 
lightness, which is, by the way, a point I should 
~have alluded to before, is enormously in its favor. 



J2 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

Being air-cooled and having, in the main, a 
system of construction which is remarkably 
simple, it presents a weight which cannot be 
approached in the ordinary way by a fixed 
cylinder engine. Another point in its favor is 
what one might call one of its fundamental 
advantages. 

Its method of adjustment to an aeroplane per- 
mits it to run without the vibration that some- 
times is found to affect the fixed-cylinder engine. 
This, in itself, is an important point 

The reader should not gather, from this eulogy 
of the Gnome, that there is no fixed cylinder 
engine that has done good work. The opposite 
is the case. Working very efficiently and very 
well, the designers of the Renault engine have 
overcome difficulties until they have produced a 
machine which, in one instance at least, enabled 
its owner to achieve a world's record for dura- 
tion in the air. 

But, save in the case of the new type of two- 
stroke engine which is now being experimented 
with, the fixed cylinder engine generally implies 
a greater weight than is the case with the 
Gnome. 

In the majority of cases the fixed-cylinder 
engine still relies upon a water-circulation sys- 
tem to keep it cool. This makes it have a greater 
weight than does any air-cooled system. 

But here again one must only speak in gen- 



THE AEROPLANE ENGINE 73 

eralities. One very successful fixed-cylinder en- 
gine has lately been evolved which will work quite 
reliably for long periods in the air, simply by the 
adoption of an entirely special system of air- 
cooling. 



CHAPTER VI 

MY OWN EXPERIENCES IX LEARNING TO FLY 

If one is to tell of one's own experiences in 
learning to fly one must, perforce, I fear, make 
one's narrative more personal thah one would 
wish; 1)ut my experience as a learner is not 
unlike that of others, and I simply give it in 
the hope thai it may tell the reader something 
of what he may be glad to know about the 
problem that actually confronts any one who 
would get into the air in an aeroplane. 

I must candidly admit, that I believe my first 
enthusiasm in flying machines was aroused at 
a very early age by reading cheap, trashy litera- 
ture, known in my early schooldays as "Penny 
Dreadfuls," though in reality they were " Half- 
penny Shockers"; but nevertheless, it was fic- 
tion of such an attractive nature that the read- 
ing gave me food for thought, and I don't think 
I shall ever forget the thrills I experienced at 
about ten years of age when I secretly purcha 
and read " Deadwood Dick's Electric Coach M 
and " The Voyage of the Flying Dutchm; 

74 



LEARNING TO FL ■ 75 

I subsequently read several of the novels of Jules 
Verne, with whose ma elous foresight and in- 
genuity the readc/ n doubt fully acquainted, 
and whose books on subtn^riqes and airships he 
will readily rememb^:'. 

However, more serk 1? tidies were before 
me, and for several years eneral mechanical 
and electrical engineer g :;,.i*acted my atten- 
tion, and it was not until three or four years 
ago that I renewed my into 'est in aeronautic-. 

I then purchased a 1 of about 40,000 

cubic feet capacity, 1a : several ascerts from 
the Battersea Gas Works in London, and ac- 
complished several long journeys in the air wi 1 
friends as passengers. 

This form of aerial travel, ho tv soon 
palled on me, for it was impossible to go where 
I wished; one was compelled to go in the direc- 
tion in which the wind carried one, and this 
sort of thing made one feel very much at the 
mercy of the elements. So as there appeared 
no satisfactory and inexpensive manner by 
which one could control the balloon, I soon lost 
all interest, sold the balloon, and decided to turn 
my attention to the heavier than air machine. 

Here, as can well be imagined, I was con- 
fronted with many problems which appeared to 
me insoluble. Nevertheless, I started making 
models, and became so absorbed in the difficul- 
ties encountered and so fascinated that I grossly 



76 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

neglected my other business calls and duties and 
devoted my whole time to my models. 

At this time my pet theory was centered in 
the "helicopter/' a form of aeroplane with ver- 
tical propellers which I fondly hoped would ob- 
viate the necessity of the long run along the 
ground to rise into the air, which was at that 
time necessary. 

Just as I was perfecting one of these models, 
the whole world was electrified by the wonderful 
flights accomplished by Wilbur Wright in 
France, and subsequently, by the marvelous 
flight made by Louis Bleriot across the English 
Channel on a new type of monoplane, a form of 
machine which appealed to me at that time as 
the nearest approach to the acme of perfection, 

I soon learnt that the first aviation meeting 
in the world was to be held at Rheims in France 
in August, 1909, and I immediately decided 
to go over, view all the various machines, and, 
if possible, purchase the best machine and learn 
to fly it at the earliest possible date. When I 
reached Rheims, however, I discovered that al- 
though I was a founder member of both the 
Royal Aero Club of Great Britain and the 
French Aero Club, under whose auspices the 
meeting was being held, and to whom I applied 
for a pass on to the ground to view the ma- 
chines, I was stoutly refused this privilege; so 
the first day I had to content myself with a view 
of the machines from a long distance, penned 



LEAK \ TO FLY 77 

up in the grand stand and the various inclosures 
far away from the aeroplane sheds. On the 
second day this kind of thing was fairly exas- 
perating me, so I tried to assume an air of great 
importance, walked straight up to the attendants, 
who were vigorously guarding the entrance into 
the aerodrome, and in my best French asked in 
which shed I should find Monsieur le President, 
who had just arrived from Paris and was in- 
specting the various machines, in company with 
General French and his staff, who were repre- 
senting the British army at the French army 
maneuvers. I was immediately courteously an- 
swered with the desired information and in I 
walked, and, with a little diplomatic maneuver- 
ing, managed to gain access to the sheds for 
the rest of the meeting. 

Progress now became easier, and I soon ob- 
tained an introduction to Messieurs Louis Ble- 
riot, Henri Farman, and Levavasseur, the de- 
signer and builder of the famous Antoinette 
monoplanes, these three men, with, perhaps, in 
addition, Monsieur Voisin, being the only 
builders who were at that time more or less 
willing to take orders for aeroplanes. 

After thoroughly discussing the pros and 
cons of these aeroplanes with their respective 
designers, I eventually made a contract with 
Monsieur Bleriot and agreed to purchase his 
large 80-horse-power, two-seated monoplane at 



78 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

the end of the meeting. Unfortunately, how- 
ever, disaster overtook this particular machine 
and Bleriot very nearly lost his life. Bleriot, 
Curtiss, Farnian, and Latham were competing 
in the Gordon-Bennett International Aeroplane 
speed contest. "Bleriot was hot favorite and 
Curtiss the runner-up, and these two men were 
working day and night trying to lighten their 
machines, with a view to obtaining the utm 
speed possible, naturally cutting everything down 
to a very narrow margin of safety. 

Bleriot's turn duly came, and when his hu 
eight-cylinder, 8o-horse-power motor was star 
Up, the roar of the Tree exhaust indicated to the 
public the huge power stored up in this machi 
and expectancy ran high that a world's Sp 
record was about to be establish 

At the word of command, the eight or I 
mechanics who were holding the machine hack 
released their grasp and the machine literally 
shot up into the air. It was at once apparent 
that it was very much faster than the biplane 
driven by Curtiss, and indeed on the first lap 
it proved to be so. But the distance to be cov- 
ered by the rules of the contest were three 
complete laps, and it was when a quarter of the 
way round on the second lap that the specta- 
tors were horrified to see the machine break 
into a mass of flames and drop from a height 
of a hundred feet a mangled wreck. Bleriot 



• • 



• 



LEARNING TO FLY 79 

was extricated from the debris, very severely 
burned about the hands and face, and badly 
bruised and shaken, but otherwise safe and 
sound. 

Naturally every one was anxious to know 
what had happened and the cause of the fire, 
but it was not until several hours after that 
Bleriot recovered sufficiently from the shock to 
relate the cause of the accident. 

It appeared that in his over-anxiety to get 
the machine ready in time none of the petrol 
connections had been properly brazed; India 
rubber tubing had been used to convey the 
petrol from the tank situated over the motor 
to the carburettor and petrol, being a very 
powerful solvent, had eaten through the rubber 
tubing and flowed on to the hot exhaust pipes, 
quickly igniting and setting the whole machine 
in a blaze. 

Of course, a valuable lesson was learnt from 
this accident, — that greater care has to be ex- 
ercised with all petrol connections on aeroplanes, 
or, for the matter of that, at all times when 
dealing with this very volatile and highly in- 
flammable spirit. 

The destruction of this machine was of course 
a bitter disappointment to me, as there was none 
other in existence, and it required at least three 
months in which to build a duplicate. How- 
ever, I obtained Bleriot's permission to go to 



80 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLA 

his works and superintend the construction of 
the new machine, but only on the strict under- 
standing that I should adhere to the hours of 
his workmen, 6 A. M. to 6 P. m., and that I 
should place myself under the discipline of his 
works manager. This was somewhat disl 
ful to me but, as it appeared to be the only i 
to obtain an insight into the intricate construc- 
tion of the machine and thus gain some pr 
tical knowledge, I gladly assented, and 
my whole time at the works until the mac! 
was ready. 
These, three months passed very p] 

1 managed to gel Bleriot to allow a friend 
mine the same privileges accorded me. Eventu- 
ally, we got delivery of the new machine, 
sundry disappointments and various in 

too numerous to relate, on November 6, v 
\t was too late in the day to attempt any tri 
that day so we retired early, hoping for a 
fine morning. 

We had arranged for Bleriot's mechanics to 
turn up at dawn at the aviation grounds, which 
were about half an hour's motor drive from our 
hotel in Paris, but in our anxiety not to over- 
sleep we became so restless that we got up at 

2 a. m., and went out to the grounds, arriving, 
of course, hours before dawn. 

It promised to be a glorious morning, though 
at first rather foggy, and as we both knew the 



LEARXIXG TO FLY 81 

ground well, we got the machine out and pa- 
tiently waited for the mechanics to turn up. 
Dawn arrived, and we were still frantically im- 
patient to get the motor started up, but, having 
been warned by the foreman of the great danger 
of starting the engine, which has to be done by 
swinging the huge nine-foot propeller, we did 
not like to take the risk, especially as we were 
only two, and it required at least six to hold 
the machine back as soon as the engine was 
started. 

After waiting a long time, however, we de- 
cided to risk it and to start " on our own " so 
we rigged up a sort of back arrangeme ith 
ropes, tying the machine up to a fence. It was 
then agreed that I should start the propeller and 
my friend should look after the ropes. 

With fear and trembling we went to our re- 
spective posts, and, to my delight, the motor 
started up at the first quarter-turn of the pro- 
peller, but, as we had forgotten to take up the 
slack of the rope, the machine almost ran over 
me, and in fact did knock me down before I 
could get out of the way. I picked myself up, 
rushed round to the driving-seat and control 
levers, and beckoned to my friend to let go the 
ropes and jump in beside me. 

Of course, as soon as my friend let go the 
ropes, off darted the machine, and it was with 
great difficulty and skill that he managed to 



82 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

scramble into the machine. We were soon run- 
ning alone; the ground at a speed of forty to 
fifty miles an houy, but on this first run I did 
not try to rise, as I was anxious to familiarize 
myself th< h the engine controls be- 

fore venturing into space. At the Ear end of 
the groun< wed down to about jo miles an 

hour, for I wanted to turn around, — a thing 
whi< i >vice, is by no means a simple 

matter to accomplish with an aeroplane when 
on the Luse as as the speed 

the rudder efficiency is also p 
porti d in precisely the same \ 

thai -el is more difficult to steer 

no way on. Then no bra) 

luted to s so dial ii is not easy to 

bring diem quickly to a standstill. We 
almost at the end of the ground, for we had 

nee in the and we found 

om. in imn er of running 

the, high lary wall; so I rtiouted to my 

jump out, ban-- on to the aer< 
and drag hii along the ground to try to 

i it. ucceedpd in doing within a 

few i the wall. This episode \ me- 

thing • hock to us, for we had visions of 

the machine being a mangled wreck, but we did 
not dare to stop the engine and take a rest, \^v 
we knew that we should be unable to start it 
again without the ropes, petrol-squirt, and other 
tackle which we had left over a mile away. 



LEARXIXG TO FLY 83 

We lifted the tail of the machine round and 
started off back again to the other end of the 
ground, and repeated this process for about 
twenty minutes. Finally I felt satisfied that I 
had control of the machine on the ground and 
was ready to try a flight. I shall always ad- 
mire my friend's pluck in accompanying me on 
this, for us, memorable first flight, for in those 
days it was considered a most perilous under- 
taking to attempt a flight with even the most 
skilled aviator; so that for him to trust his life 
to a novice on the most powerful monoplane 
that had up to that time been built aroused my 
greatest admiration. 

It is somewhat curious, let me say parentheti- 
cally, that my friend subsequently purchased a 
similar aeroplane, but has j mever been able to 
master its control and has 'given up aviation in 
disgust. 

We started off to make our first ascent and, 
after obtaining our speed, I slightly raised the 
elevator. One can but faintly realize our de- 
light and satisfaction to see that we were off 
the ground, had left all traces of vibration and 
jolting behind, and were really making our first 
flight in a heavier-than-air machine. 

We soon reached an altitude of about thirty 
feet, which to us appeared a tremendous height, 
and I now began to think how to descend. 
This, I had been warned, was the most difficult 



84 THE STORY OF THE AEROP T 

and perilous maneuver in flying. Our 1 in 

the air was about fifty miles an hour, and 
effect a safe landing at such a speed, as can 
well be imagined, is not a very easy task. We 
were fortunate enough to manage it all right, 
however, turning round again and making 
other nice flight back to the other end of the 
ground. The fog had now cleared and we \\ 
surprised to see, though it was still an e; 
hour, a large number of people. W( >ped 

neai n and they all ran over to us, and in 

their usual excitable and < nanner, 

so typica] of the Frenchman, fairly > 
in tic prai i our fl 

Tlu i i wd turned out to be re] 
phol hers, etc., who had been brou 

3 in the cheerful h< 
I tfterwards found out, of obtaining ph< 
and sensational he anticipj 

"Wreck of an English Aviator's Monoplane." 
and, perhaps, they may even have fos 
fond possibility of decease. They we 

doomed, however, tppointmenl at i 

any such sensational reports, but they used th 
cameras and note-books busily enough, and 
following morning I was ushered into the public 
gaze in all the newspapers, and was sul 
quently the proud recipient of a large number 
of congratulatory telegrams. 

The news soon reached Monsieur Bleriot, who 



LEARNING TO FLY 85 

was at that time giving exhibition flights at 
Vienna, and he immediately telegraphed me not 
to attempt any further flights. The ground, he 
said, was too small for such a fast machine, so 
he requested me to send the machine down to 
Pau, where Wilbur Wright had made most of 
his successful flights a short time previously, 
and where the ground was of ample extent and 
the weather most favorable for flying, on ac- 
count of its sheltered position at the base of the 
Pyrenees. About ten days later I arrived at 
Pau with my machine, and was received by the 
Mayor and Corporation and accorded a civic 
welcome. 

The arrangements at the railroad station for 
unloading such a large and bulky packing case 
were very crude and inadequate, and as there 
was no crane powerful enough to lift the ca 
we had to knock the case to pieces on the rail- 
way truck and get together an army of helpers 
to assist in lifting the aeroplane bodily off the 
truck. It was during this operation that our 
first disaster occurred, for at a critical moment, 
when it was half off and half on the truck, it 
overbalanced, owing to the difficulty I experi- 
enced in getting all these men to carry out my 
instructions accurately and quickly, the whole 
machine fell to the ground, a great deal of 
woodwork was broken, and a considerable 
amount of the light steel work twisted and 
strained. 



86 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

This was only the beginning of my trouble, 
for as soon as the machine was repaired, Bier 
true to his promise, turned up at Pan to make 
a trial flight with me on the machine, and we 
had some lively experienc 

The machine having been s rily re- 

paired, Bleriot took his place in the driving seat, 
I got in beside him, off \\e and soon we 

were a hundred feel in the air. At the farther 
md of the ground, which was oval in shape, 
had to make a sharp turn in order to avoid sail- 
ing over a large wood which skirted the whole 
length of the ground. In endeavoring to make 
this turn, we found the machine would not an- 
swer the rudder, which, as we afterwards found, 
was not Jarge enough, and a- we were East 
approaching the wood, Bleriot quickly decided 
that we must land before reaching it. There was 
insufficient space left, however, so we dived for 
it, and landed within a few feet of the hedge 
which skirted the wood, but at such a speed and 
so roughly that the machine was reduced to a 
mangled wreck; both Bleriot and myself aim 
miraculously escaped without a scratch. 

I Avas naturally very disappointed that this 
new disaster should overtake me, hut I immedi- 
ately wired to Paris for spare parts and me- 
chanics to come down to Pau and repair the 
machine, and in the course of about ten days it 
was ready again for flight, with a larger rud- 



LEARNING TO FLY 87 

der fitted and all defects eliminated. Bleriot, 
with nryself as passenger, then made a world's 
record passenger flight, covering some twenty 
miles at a speed of, roughly, about sixty miles 
an hour, officially recorded by the time-keepers 
of the French Aero Club. 

Bleriot, however, was dissatisfied with the 
machine, which he said was too heavy and too 
fast. He persuaded me to return it to him on 
the promise that he would immediately hand me 
over in its place two of his small 25-horse- 
power, three-cylinder, single-seated machines. I 
assented to this arrangement, took delivery of 
the two machines, and the following morning, 
Bleriot having returned to Paris, I essayed my 
first flight in a single-seated monoplane. After 
about half an hour's practice on the ground, I 
managed several flights in a straight line, and 
gaining confidence, was determined to make a 
circular flight of the course before lunch. Much 
to my own astonishment and that of every one 
else, I successfully accomplished this, and was 
told that such rapid progress was unprecedented. 

After lunch, the climatic conditions being ideal, 
I made another flight, rising to a height of 400 
feet and remaining in the air for about forty 
minutes, which for this type of machine, fitted 
with the Anzani motor, was considered a very 
creditable performance. 

I was naturally elated by my success and was 



88 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLAXK 

soon up in the machine again ready for another 
flight; but my joy was doomed to a short !. 
for when making a sharp turn I lost control 
and the machine fell into a shallow river and 
was badly smashed. 

This somewhat unnerved me, and I never \ 
have regained the same confidence I had prior 
to this accident; hut this I attribute more to 
increased knowledge, and consequently the real- 
ization of the dangers attending the pursu 
axial ion, than to any lasting lue I i 

accident. 

In a very short time 1 gained my pilot avia- 
tor's certificate from the French Aero Club, 
which is a guarantee of efficiency in the arl 
aviation and without which it is impossible 
give public demonstrations, flights, or to i 
part in any competition governed by the In 
national Aeronautical Federation, under whose 
auspices all the principal me< the w< 

are held. 

I remained at Pan during the wl he 

winter months of [909-IO. I stablisl 1 

aviation school there and soon had a num 
of pupils, both French and English; among my 
most adept and successful pupils that are now 
well known, I am proud to say, the 

American aviator, Mr. J. Armstrong Drexel, 
who quickly mastered the art, and iatei 
a world's record for altitude. Mr. Drexel rep- 



LEARNING TO FLY 89 

resented America at the Belmont Park Avia- 
tion Meeting in October, 1910, when I had the 
honor to oppose him as a representative of Great 
Britain. 

Not very content with circling the Pau aero- 
drome and wishing to go further afield, I de- 
cided one day to make a cross-country flight 
from the aerodrome to the city of Pau, about 
twelve miles distant, and alight opposite the 
Casion. I chose a certain Sunday, one of the 
French National Fete Days, for the experiment. 

On the afternoon in question there was a large 
crowd of people at the aerodrome. No ont but 
my brother and sister and a few intimate friends 
knew of my project, for it was my intention to 
make a surprise flight into the town, but I had 
arranged for my mechanics to follow me in the 
motor car in case of accident. At about 5 p. m. 
I started off and, my machine running very well, 
I soon attained a height of about 700 feet, and 
immediately made off in a bee-line for Pau over 
the woods and forests. I was soon on the out- 
skirts of the city, when to my horror my motor 
began to jib and run sluggishly and within a 
few seconds stopped altogether. This was my 
first experience of having to make a glide to 
earth with my motor stopped and I was naturally 
somewhat alarmed, especially as I was now over 
houses and the electric railway tracks. With 
more good luck than good judgment or manage- 



90 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

ment, I cleared the roof of a house, to me it 
appeared by inches but no doubt it was by sev- 
eral yards, and alighted safely in a garden with- 
out so much as breaking a wire or a stay. My 
mother, who was following in a motor, was 
much, unnerved when she saw that I was fall- 
ing, and naturally much relieved when she came 
up and found that I was safe. 

This accident proved to me that the motor I 
was using was unreliable and I immediately de- 
cided that it was foolish to trust one's life to 
the machine again, SO I arranged to travel by 
the following day's nighl express to Paris to buy 
a machine fitted with a more reliable motor. 

I was, however, persuaded by the crowd at the 
aerodrome on the day of my proposed departure 
to give one last demonstration flight, and al- 
though I was loath to do so, for a fairly strong 
breeze was blowing, I consented. For some un- 
earthly reason I was suddenly taken with an 
overpowering desire to do something sensational 
as a wind-Up, and so I conceived the idea of a 
glide down with my engine stopped facing the 
wand, a thing which up to that time had never 
been attempted, as it was considered dangerous 
to try this experiment against a head wind. I 
thought it would be a fine experience, however, 
in case my motor should ever stop from any cause 
when flying under similar conditions, so I headed 



LEARXIXG TO FLY 91 

for the wind and switched off at above 400 feet 
and in the usual manner dived for the ground. 
I soon found out that the head wind was causing 
my machine to lose its speed, and consequently 
I was losing control, and when I got within a 
hundred feet of the ground I realized that 
nothing short of a miracle could possibly avert 
a serious accident. I had little time for thought, 
for before I c think out anv form of action 

the machine had struck the ground with terrible 
force, head first. I was thrown forward but my 
face struck one of the steel uprights in my fall, 
and before I could get up the machine had turned 
turtle on top of me. 

I fell among a lot of gorse and bramble bushes, 
and when I managed to crawl out, I am told I 
looked for all the world like a hedsreho^. The 
prickly gorse had stuck in all over my face 
which was bleeding very profusely from a deep 
cut right across my nose down to my right eye. 
Doctors quickly attended to me, and I was driven 
to the hospital at Pau where my wounds were 
-itched up. This little episode of course put a 
stop on my departure that evening for Paris, and 
the shock to my nervous system made it neces- 
sary for me to remain quiet for a few days. 

It is such incidents as these, however, which 
teach one how to fly. 



CHAPTER VII 

TB : Vi EONS OF FLY! 

A great many people have flown, and yel very 
few oi them have givei 

planation <>i whal the ing really 

amount to. Hie e n of this is fairly 

simple. It is extreme! lybody 

say exactly what he felt like when in the air. 

The sensations are complex. The speed is 
great, [mpre \i h >ns 1 1 >me inl id at a 

very great rate. The result i^ that, when a man 
is hack on the ground again, lie is generally only 
able to gasp, and to wonder himself really what 
it all was like. 

Naturally, when he is in a frame of mind like 
this, a man can scarcely be expected to give a very 
clear and a very lucid description of what it f< 
like to fly. More than one person, 1 am sure, 
has made a painstaking effort to analyze his 
sensations. 

The result, however, lias never been particu- 
larly happy. I myself have keen interviewed 
times without number as to my sensations in per- 

9 2 4 



THE SENSATIONS OF FLYIXG 

forming some particular flight. I am 

m the interviewer's point of view, my rep] 
have never been particularly satis ry. There 

a matter of fact, a great deal of humor in 
this desire of people who remain on the grot 
to hear from others exactly what it is like in the 
air. 

I remember, on some of the early occasi 
when flying, judged purely from the point of vi 
of flying, was a far greater novelty than it is 
-. having seen incidents that amused me very 
much. 

At one aviation meeting, a rather celebrated 
person was taken up for a flight. After making 
two or three circuits of the aerodrome, he . 
brought safely back to earth again. Immediately, 
half a dozen reporters, scenting a good " story," 
thronged round him. and began to question him 

sely as to his impressions. 

He gasped a little, tried to straighten himself 
out and exclaim, " It was great." This observa- 

lj although very expressive, was scan 
ample enough to suit the men who had hoped to 
write half a column at least as to the views of 
this particular individual. So they waited a little, 
patiently, and then tried again. Evidently they 
hoped that the confusion of his rush through the 
air would pass away, and that the famous per- 
sonage would, after all, say a few things that 
would be really noteworthy. 



94 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

But his second declaration was scarce!}' more 
informing than his first. It was: "It's abso- 
lutely ripping." And although the newspaper 
men, true to their reputation for painstaking, did 
not desert him for some time, they practically 
failed altogether to get anything of a d ive 

nature from the famous 
sations of flight. 

The whole business amused me more than a 
little. The person in question was very well 
known, and particularly well known for hi- flu- 
ency of speech. It was, therefore, a striking 
illustration to me of a fact that I had reali 
he fore. 

The first time a man flies the sensation is all 
more than he can realize or 'Hie sen- 

sation, so to speak, sweeps his mind clear, lie 
comes back to earth with nothing more than a 
sense of largeness and a good deal of awe. I 
mean, in the explanation given below, to con 
in quite a matter-of-fact way really what happens 
when you start out on a (light in an aeroplane. 

The first thing that one does is to take or, 
seat in the driver's position. In a biplane, the 
type of machine which I shall describe, one's ac- 
commodation is a small wooden seat. Some 
pilots, with a view to comfort, place a cushion on 
it. Others whom I have known, when undertak- 
ing a long cross-country flight, have removed the 
small wooden seat fitted by the makers, and have 



THE SENSATIONS OF FLYING 95 

substituted a comfortable wicker-work arm-chair. 
But such luxuries are only thought of, as a rule, 
by the very old hands. 

In a biplane the pilot's seat is located in the 
center of the front of the lower main plane. To 
your right hand, as you sit, there is a lever. It 
is in the form of an upright metal rod, which 
moves on a universal joint. Wires lead away 
from it, by which you control the various planes 
of the machine. For instance, fixed out in front 
of you, on long wooden rods, is the elevating 
plane. 

This is so made that it will tilt up and down, 
acting in unison with a small plane, having a sim- 
ilar motion, which is attached to the tail of the 
machine. This tail, in the form of two small 
planes, fixed one above another, is thrown out 
on wooden outriggers at the back of the main 
planes. 

The rod, by a simple movement forward and 
backwards, actuates these elevating planes, as 
they are called. The rod has another function 
also. It moves from side to side, and in so doing 
operates what are known as the " ailerons." 
These are small planes hinged to the rear edges 
of the main planes. 

Their work is very interesting. As the aero- 
plane passes along through the air it is being 
struck all the time by wind gusts. Some of them 
hit the planes more on one side than another. 



96 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

The result is that the machine heels over a little 
sideways. 

This is where the ailerons come into action. 
What the pilot does when he sees his machine be- 
ginning to drop on one side is to move his con- 
trolling lever slightly in the opposite direction 
to that upon which the aeroplane is falling. This 
action draws a wire, and lowers the ailerons — 
there are two of them — on the edges of the 
plane which is depressed. These ailerons, when 
tilted down, have the effect of raising the side 
of the machine which is heeling over. 

With this simple control, the lateral stability 
of the machine is effected. There is one other 
controlling function which the pilot has to re- 
member. As he sits in his driving seat he places 
his feet on a cross-bar, which is so made that it 
will move to and fro on a central pivot. From 
this cross-bar, on either side, run wires. These 
are carried right back to the tail of the machine, 
where they actuate a rudder which is exactly 
like that of a ship. 

When the pilot wants to turn to the left, he 
pushes his foot forward on that side. The 
rudder comes round, and the aeroplane, obedient 
to its helm, moves round in the desired direction. 
Behind the pilot, as he sits perched in his seat, 
with the controlling lever in his right hand, and 
his feet on the rudder bar, are the engine and the 
propeller. Below him as he looks down are the 



THE SENSATIONS OF FLYING 97 

skids and running wheels which carry the aero- 
plane along the ground when it is starting on or 
returning from a flight. 

The preliminary to a flight is the starting up 
of the engine. This is effected by one of the 
mechanics swinging the propeller until the engine 
gets to work. 

To men wdio fly for the first time the noise of 
an engine is bewildering. No silencer is fitted. 
The result is that the engine, when accelerated 
ready for flight, makes a quite stupendous roar. 
The method, just before starting, is for the pilot 
to accelerate his engine and for a number of men 
to hold back the aeroplane. 

This holding-back movement is necessary be- 
cause when the engine is going " All out " the 
machine has a very strong tendency to move 
swiftly forward across the ground. 

After he has accelerated, the pilot sits in his 
seat for a moment or so listening to his engine. 
If it is running without a miss, and everything 
seems all right, he lifts up his hand as a signal 
to the men to release their hold of the machine. 

As they do so, it moves forward across the 
ground. At first its progress is slow, but it soon 
gathers speed, and when a pace of about thirty 
miles an hour is gained, the pilot knows that the 
moment has come to tilt up his elevator and take 
the air. 

Nothing is more graceful than the way in 



98 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLAXE 

which an aeroplane leaves the ground. It does 
so without an; esti< >n of effort. All on 

in watchin. that the wheels, which a moment 

before were on i< ground, arc now passing along 
a foot in the air. 

On this | mber the ex- 

perience of . vhen 

flight. So in; i the change from n i 

ing aloi ■ that very 

i of them ; h Ctually 

begun a fli ud- 

denly 1< md has 

to fall m. 

When you v\ ant to rii e, y< >u km >v\ |y 

You till y< >ur el 
mofe acut( 

once. Aftertvards, well, as 01 it, 

"You just fly." As yo through the 

air you w n begin I the feeling 

your engine is tflaking a very 

You find ncing below. When you 

are Fa : se to the gr< >und the and 

coun • i] to be slipping away very fast. 

Bui i higher you lose this 

speed. A >ai , at a good height, you 

seem to be movin quite slowly. 

As to the fascination of flight, what is it? I 
have studied it carefully, and have compared my 
own sensations with those of others. One of the 
best de ns you can find of the general feel- 



Tl 

11 ' : when I it is a 

great, curious sense of power. 

Thi not seem a very satisfactory expla- 

nation to the reader, hut it is one of the best I 
can give. I think that, in the back oi s mind 

en one i flying, is the realizatio one is 

doing something* that man has striv vain to 

do for many centuries. 

It is partly a feeling of conquest. And now 
you can imagine yourself climbing steadily up- 
wards, with the ground fading below. 
There is no finer sensation than this, I imagine. 
♦One of the i striking things in . lion 

th living is the responsiveness of one's ma- 
chine to every controlling movement. While 
one is flying it is necessary t i be making minor 
adjustments all the time. With one's rudder bar, 
for instance, one is always more or less occupied. 
The movements are, to some extent, instinctive. 
They are the sort of n :s that a bicyclist 

makes to preserve the balance of his machine. 
All the time, while you are flying, your machine 
is being struck by little inequalities of air, and is 
showing a tendency either to move up or down 
.or from side to side. 

Therefore, the movements one makes are very 
small ones to correct this tendency. One's feet 
move just a little to and fro upon the rudder-bar. 
This little " joggling " of the rudder is sufficient 
to keep the machine on a straight course. As re- 



ioo THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

gards the elevator, one is moving the rod in one's 
hand a matter of an inch or so only, and the 
same applies to the movements one makes in 
manipulating the ailerons. 

A good deal of misconception exists as to the 
fatigue involved in making an aeroplane flight. 
Personally, I have found that fatigue is a negli- 
gible quantity, save when one is flying in gusty 
winds. Then, of course, the constant corrective 
movements that one is bound to make, and the 
strain of keeping so incessant a control of one's 
machine, is apt to have a very fatiguing effect 

But when one is flying tinder favorable condi- 
tions, I do not see that there is any strain at all. 
Of course, in the earlier days of flying, when 
engines were not so reliable, there was a certain 
strain upon a pilot, when flying across country, 
because he had a feeling in his mind that his 
engine might stop at any moment. 

And the first pilots suffered from strain, no 
doubt, to a certain extent, because of their un fa- 
miliarity with the air. Now, however, the strain 
in this respect is becoming less and less. Engil 
too, are becoming more reliable. Men under- 
stand far better what to do when they are in the 
air. As a matter of fact, I think there is less 
actual strain in piloting an aeroplane across 
country than there is in driving a high-powered 
car from point to point along the road. Of 
course^ as I have said before, the weather condi- 



THE SENSATIONS OF FLYING 101 

tions are all important. Sometimes, when flying, 
pilots suffer from cold. This is notably the case 
in winter flying. 

In high flying, also, more than one airman has 
returned to earth with his hands completely 
numbed by the cold. 

On a fine summer's day, however, flying is a 
magnificent experience. Personally I have not 
experienced any more really exhilarating sensa- 
tion that one can find in flying under ideal 
conditions. 

There is exhilaration, of course, in driving a 
well-found car on a good road, but this is a poor 
thing when piloting an aeroplane is compared 
with it. 

To be in the air ! To feel your motor speeding 
you on! To hold the lever and feel the machine 
while in flight answer to your slightest move! 
To look below and see the country unfolding itself 
to your gaze, and to know that you and you alone 
are the master of the situation — the man who is 
doing this wonderful thing! Realization of all 
these points gives you something of a feeling of 
awe. 

Turning to another phrase of flying, I am con- 
vinced that a judicious participation in aeroplan- 
ing provides a man with a very fine mental tonic. 
To begin with, he must always be ready for any 
emergency. I hear people very often talking 
about " Brain Fag." Business men, too, complain 



102 THE ST( . 

very often li 

"bucking up." I a u. in 

future, flying- will c 

the greatest health it wi ' 

in my opinion, bef 

go in for a course of avial 

Natural!}-, before this ined, tl 

machine will ha\ ich more peri 

That there are a numl Ith-eivi 

properties in flying, ! do nol think can be denied. 

More than one man in i ho 

has taken ii up has, to my knowledge, improved 
quite remarkably in his physique. ( )i course, in 
its present stage, i:\ res much more con- 

and abili ill be the case in a 

few years^ time. ! an amuse- 

ment is only dep »n of me- 

chanical details. 



CHAPTER VIII 
my attempts to win the Daily Mail £10,000 

PRIZE 

It was during the early days of April, 1910, 
after flying a Bleriot monoplane at Pau during 
much of the preceding winter, that I arrived in 
Paris and purchased a Farman biplane, which 
was promised for delivery by the middle of the 
month. At the same time that this purchase 
was effected, I cabled over making my official 
entry to compete for the Daily Mail £10,000 
prize to be awarded to the first aviator of any 
nationality who should accomplish a flight in a 
heavier than air machine from London to Man- 
chester, with only two stops en route for petrol 
and fuel, etc., the flight to be made within 24 
consecutive hours. 

Although the Farman biplane was an entirely 
different machine to control as compared with 
the monoplane I had been using at Pau, I soon 
mastered the manipulation, and accomplished a 
flight of 65 minutes in the evening of the first 
day's delivery. On the following day I per- 

103 



104 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

suaded my mother to board the machine and 
come for a flight with me. 

At first she did not like the idea of it, as I 
had had so very little experience with the ma- 
chine, and none with a- passenger; but she as- 
sented, and as soon as we left the ground she 
lost all nervousness and thoroughly enjoyed the 
experience, and waved to all her friends below 
in a most unconscious manner. 

We remained aloft about 35 minutes at an 
average altitude of about 300 feet, and covered 
some 25 miles during the time. 

I then felt confident of the control of the 
machine and packed it up, and dispatched it to 
London, calling on the two Farman brothers oil 
my way through Paris to acquaint them with 
my decision to make a determined and early 
effort to accomplish the London to Manchester 
flight, asking their cooperation and assistance. 

They both expressed serious doubts as to my 
experience being sufficient to carry me through 
such an admittedly trying ordeal, and did their 
utmost to dissuade me from attempting the flight, 
at any rate until I had had some experience 
at cross-country flying. I, however, was deter- 
mined to be the first aviator at any rate to 
make an attempt to win the prize, and would 
not listen to their advice and warning. 

During this interview the Farman brothers 
informed me that Louis Paulhan was hurrying 



ATTEMPTS TO WIN PRIZE 105 

back from America with the fixed intention of 
making an immediate attempt to win the same 
prize. 

I hurried to London to see if my own ma- 
chine had arrived, and to map out my route, 
and to get together all my road organization 
and supplies and spare parts, etc., at stopping 
places in case of accident. 

I went and saw the directors of the L. & 
N. W. Ry. Co., whose main line I had decided 
to follow from London to Manchester, and we 
studied out the best and least hilly route. They 
very kindly placed a special train and inspec- 
tion car at my disposal to enable me to travel 
over the entire course, and obtain an uninter- 
rupted view of both sides of the track, so that 
I could select suitable landmarks to pick up 
my bearings when in flight. 

In Manchester I searched for a suitable alight- 
ing ground, as by the rules governing the prize 
the aeroplane had to pass in flight within five 
miles of the London and Manchester offices of the 
Daily Mail, which meant that a considerable 
portion of the cities of London and Manchester 
had to be negotiated in flight. I selected event- 
ually a fine, open field adjoining the railway 
track at Didsbury, which, on inquiry, I found 
was 300 yards inside the 5-mile limit. 

I hurried back to London, and found that my 
machine was due up in London from New- 



106 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

haven on the following morning. It duly ar- 
rived, and my mechanics set to work to rush 
it together with all speed. 

Monsieur Henri Farman, the builder of my 
machine, turned up from Paris on the same 
evening, and immediate!}' went up to Park 
Royal, my starting-point, to overhaul and 
that the machine was being put together prop- 
erly. Every;' was hurry and bustle, espe- 
cially as Farman informed me dial Paulhan was 
on his way over to London and would be ready 
to start in aboul three days. 

I decided that, weather permitting, the flight 
musl start from Park Royal at daybreak 
following morning, April 21, 1010. 

At 4 a. m. I got up, and found it was a glori- 
ous morning/ with a hard, white frost and 
a cold, light, easterly wind blowing. I arrived 
up at Park Royal at 4.30 a. m., just at the dawn, 
and found some 5,000 people already in attend- 
ance, hut all my mechanics who had gone 
through a very strenuous time, were still asleep. 
We soon roused them and got the machine out 
into the open road for a start, hut Farman ad- 
vised me to wait a little to see if the wind 
would drop. 

Shortly after 5 o'clock it certainly moderated 
so I decided to get under way. The engine was 
started, and I rose, into the air after a short 
run precisely at 5.17 a. m. and steered straight 



ATTEMPTS TO WIN PRIZE 107 

for the gasometers at Wormwood Scrubs, round 
which I was to circle, and on which the Aero 
Club and Daily Mail officials were stationed in 
order to verify my passing in night within the 
prescribed 5-mile radius of Daily Mail office. 

The huge recreation grounds at Wormwood 
Scrubs were a seething mass of people, it hav- 
ing been published that I should make my start 
from there, and I could hear their cheers above 
the roar of my engine as I passed 400 feet 
above their heads. 

I was soon circling the gasometers, and then, 
in turning, I felt the force of the wind, which, 
owing to my machine's being very heavily lad- 
ened with 25 gallons of petrol, and about half 
that quantity of lubricating oil caused the plane 
to lower very alarmingly, and I only cleared 
Willsclen Junction Station by a few yards. But, 
when I once got clear of the streets and houses, 
I seemed to gain confidence, and gradually raised 
my machine to a much higher altitude. 
• I was now heading for Harrow 7 and there 
appeared plenty of open country ahead of me. 
I was much interested in watching the hundreds 
of motor cars which I could see tearing along 
the roads, both ahead of me and in hot pursuit, 
as, of course, my whole route had been published 
days before, together with maps indicating my 
probable alighting places, and also the places 
along the route where I had stationed motor- 
cars laden with spare parts, fuel, etc. 



io8 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

Although I had had a specially warm wool- 
lined aviation suit made for me, and had as a 
precaution also put on three woolen sweaters 
underneath, I soon became bitterly cold, and I 
had to change hands with my control lever in 
order to restore circulation. I became so numbed 
that I was beginning to fear I should be forced 
to alight befor my first fixed station, which 1 had 
chosen close to Rugby, about 83 miles from 
London. 

I managed to hang on, however, but the cold 
affected me SO much that when flying over 
Bletchley Junction, about 50 miles from my 
starting-point, I became quite faint, and, but 
for my brandy flask, which I had taken the 
precaution to place in my outside breast pocket, 
with the stopper already removed, and from 
which I was able to take a nip, I doubt if [ 
should have been able to go on. 

I chewed some chocolate after this, and seemed 
to get a bit warmer, but no one ever welcomed 
a station so much as I did when Rugby rose in 
sight, and I saw the white sheet spread out on 
the ground of a park where it was arranged 
I should descend. 

There must have been some 20,000 people 
assembled here from the surrounding country, 
and I effected a safe landing right amongst 
them exactly at 7.14, or 3 minutes under 2 
hours from the start at Park Royal, during 



ATTEMPTS TO WIN PRIZE 109 

which time I had covered 83 miles of the jour- 
ney to Manchester, leaving 93 miles still to 
cover before 5.17 on the following morning, in 
order to win the f 10,000 prize. 

After landing I was so benumbed with the 
cold that I had to be lifted from my seat, and 
suffered agony with frost-bitten fingers until my 
circulation was restored. 

Lord and Lady Dunbigh, who were the first 
to congratulate me on my flight, placed their 
brougham at my disposal, and drove me up to 
a neighboring farm for some hot breakfast; I 
soon felt quite fit, and was anxious to be off 
again. 

After my fuel tanks had been replenished and 
the working parts overhauled, I gave the signal 
for the engine to be started at 3.15 a. m., and 
within a few minutes I was heading for 
Manchester. 

By this time the wind had increased consid- 
erably in force and I soon found that I was 
traveling much more slowly than I had done 
up to Rugby. The wind had also changed to 
the northwest, and was now practically dead 
against me. 

However, I soon passed over the railway sta- 
tion at Rugby Junction, the roof of which was 
fairly alive with railway porters, and hotel chefs 
in their pure white cooking outfits. Every one 
was w r aving flags and handkerchiefs, and the 



no THE STORY OF THE 

host of railway in the all 

blowing their whistles. 

No sooner had I d the n than I 

saw a network jing lines, twelve 

different double rent 

directions. I prol ably for the first ti 

sinc< g L I found 

and absolute y of my having made ar- 

rangen he set : h i 

s to follow, i hitewashed \ hundred 

yards up the Now the v ind 1 to 

have i much, and i n< the 

branch'- i >f tl v ere 1 l< i ing i1 a 

great deal; gusts continually hit my machine, 
and I was pitchi I tossing in all directions 

in a most alarming manner. 

I w h dist l)in tried 

h the argumenl that if one 
flies in a : must of nee 

be buffeted about a bit, and in te way 

that there is no cause for serious i when' 

a ship is tossed about in an angry sfca, I adapted 
this reasoning to the caperings of my aeroplane. 

I, however, found that even if there was no 
cause for alarm, this gusty wind made a lot 
hard work for me, and my right arm soon began 
to ache from the constant strain of having to 
work my ailerons to maintain my stability and 
keep the machine on an even keel. 

I also noticed that, in order to keep over the 



ATTEMPTS TO WIN PRIZE in 

railway track, I was unable to hold my machine 
heading north, and owing to the wind being on 
my port bows, I was traveling crab-wise, and 
was rapidly drifting away from the railway 
tracks, which were to guide me to Manchester. 
1 decided, however, that I must hold on at all 
costs, at any rate so long as I could see the 
railway lines in the distance and knew that I 
was traveling in the right direction. 

Tamworth rose in sight, and on glancing at 
my route map, which I had had painted on the 
footboard just in front of my seat, I noticed 
that I had covered some thirty-five miles since 
leaving Rugby. 

Although I had drifted some considerable dis- 
tance away from the railway, I passed neverthe- 
less over a thickly populated part of the town, 
and from my altitude was glad to notice that 
the lines took a fairly sharp bend, after leaving 
Tamworth, in my direction, which brought me 
directly over the line again, about a couple of 
miles outside the town. 

Just as I was on the outskirts of the town, 
I was alarmed by the sudden stopping of the 
cor, and I immediately lowered my elevator 
and started to glide to earth, anxiously trying 
to decide which, amongst the roads and houses, 
uld be the best landing-place, and the least 
likely to cause serious damage to my machine. 

I must have dropped some 200 to 300 feet 



ii2 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

when my motor, with a loud report (an explo- 
sion in the crank chamber), started to fire again, 
but very irregularly, and only on five cylinders 
out of the seven. 

I thought it best, however, to try to fly on at 
any rate until I could get clear of the town, and 
as I was still at a safe altitude, I successfully 
passed over the town, and now had to literally 
nurse my machine along, and soon realized that 
I was rapidly losing my altitude and getting 
dangerously near to the tree-tops. Moreover, 
with lessened power and speed, I found the 
wind far more troublesome and the machine 
very difficult to control. 

Reluctantly I had to make up my mind that 
a landing was essential, and SO, choosing a line, 
level meadow c>i ample size right adjoining the 
railway, I started to descend; but when about 
to alight, my motor again stopped, and with my 
power entirely gone just when I most wanted 
it to straighten the machine up to the wind, it 
failed, and in landing a side gust struck the 
machine and slightly damaged one of the skids. 

My first thought on landing was to get to the 
nearest signal-box and telegraph all along the 
line to stop all my host of mechanics and 
assistants, who were tearing along after me in 
motor cars with oil, fuel, and every conceivable 
motor and aeroplane spare part. 
. As luck would have it, I found that I had 



ATTEMPTS TO WIN PRIZE 113 

landed quite close to a level crossing where there 
was a signal-box, but I found that I could not 
with safety leave the aeroplane, as the wind was 
so strong that it was being lifted and was danc- 
ing all over the place, so that I was afraid that 
it might get blown over; and while I was won- 
dering how on earth I could stake it down, as 
I was using all my strength to hold it down and 
did n't dare let go of it, a lot of farm laborers 
came running up, and within a very few min- 
utes hundreds of people had collected around 
the machine. 

One of these men I immediately sent over to 
the signal-box to wire messages up and down the 
line to inform my assistants where to locate me, 
but on arrival my messenger found that the signal- 
man had already done all this, and he informed 
us that all the motor-cars had been stopped at 
Tamworth and Litchfield and were hastening to 
Hademore Crossing, the name of the village 
where I had landed. 

During this time I was organizing a troupe 
of men to encircle the aeroplane to keep the 
crowd off, as every one's sole idea seemed to 
be an overwhelming desire to leave me their 
autographs on the canvas planes, much to the 
detriment of the canvas. Another gang of men 
I stationed at various points of the aeroplane to 
hold it down until my mechanics arrived. 

People were arriving in thousands from all the 



ii4 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

surrounding towns, and every sort and type of 
conveyance seemed to have been hurriedly called 
into service. The hundreds of motor-cars, the 
majority of which had followed the flight all the 
way from London and those which had joined 
the race en route, were simply pouring into the 
meadow, and the scene presented was as ani- 
mated as a Derby race meeting. 

It was not long before 1 saw my men breath- 
lessly elbowing their way through the crowd, 
anxious to know that I and the aeroplane were 
safe and sound and to learn the cause of my 
unscheduled descent, a- after leaving Rugby my 
second fixed and arranged-for landing-place 
to have been at Whitmore, a village al 
miles south of Crewe Junction, whereas this, 
my second landing, had been made some [8 mi 
south of that village. 

My chief mechani ed the cause of 

my motor trouble, finding that one of the se1 of 
three delicate induction valve Springs had broken 
on two cylinders, and, as I imagined, the last 
few miles had been flown with five cylinders only 
in operation. 

The fitting o\ the new springs was a ma 
which occupied a few minutes only, and atten- 
tion was in the meantime being given to the 
damaq-ed skid, which did not demand any exten- 
sive repairs, so that the machine was very soon 
ready for flight again. 






ATTEMPTS TO WIX PRIZE n 



o 



A host of my friends, whom I had last seen 
at five o'clock in the morning when I left Lon- 
don, soon turned uo in their motor-cars with 
Mr. Roger Wallace, Chairman of the Royal Aero 
Club, Mr. Harold Perrin, and several friends. 
We held a sort of council of war as to the best 
tactics for me to adopt, in view of the very 
strong w r ind which was now blowing and was 
every minute increasing in force. 

We soon decided that it would be madness to 
attempt any more flying until the wind moder- 
ated, and it was suggested that I should go to 
the hotel at Litchfield for some lunch and a rest, 
and if possible should make a fresh start at 
about 5 o'clock in the afternoon, as by that time 
conditions should be more favorable. 

My first stop at Rugby and this, my second, 
landing now made it necessary for me to run 
right through to Manchester in one flight, in 
order to win the prize, as by the rules govern- 
ing the contest only two landings w r ere per- 
mitted. However, as I had only about another 
6o miles to cover, my chances of success still 
looked very rosy, but I must admit that my 
fears as to the climatic conditions caused me no 
small anxiety. 

I was very loath to leave the field, as I in- 
tuitively felt that it was essential for me to be 
in readiness to start again at the first indica- 
tion of a favorable lull in the wind; but I was 
overpersuaded by my well-wishers and after 



n6 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

very stringent instructions to my mechanics to 
guard the machine jealously against all harm 
and to secure it to the ground with ropes and 
tent pegs, and on the personal assurance of 
Monsieur Henri Farman that he would not 
leave the machine for one minute, and would 
hold himself responsible for its safety, I went 
off at last to lunch at the George Hotel at 
Litchfield and turned in for an hour'- rest after 
obtaining a promise From Mr, Roger Wallace 
that he would call me immediately should the 
wind moderate, and in any event not later than 
4 p. M. 

In due course I was awakened only to find 
that the wind had increased to a gale, but I 
decided at any rate to motor out to the field and 
see that everything was all right, and to instruct 
my men to be in readiness for me to make a 
start at any favorable opportunity during the 
night, so that I could reach my goal before 
5.17 the following morning. 

Most of my men slept under the machine and 
the Tommies kept watch all night. I returned to 
the hotel, and after an early dinner turned in 
and left my friends to keep watch and arouse 
me at the slightest sign of a possible resumption 
of the flight. Fate w r as, however, against me, 
but my friends awoke me at midnight, and al- 
though they knew it was useless, we all went 
on the roof of the hotel to view the conditions. 



ATTEMPTS TO WIX PRIZE 117 

Since I had turned in at 7 p. m. it had been 
raining hard, and although it had now stopped 
there was an angry sky and a stiff breeze, and 
Farman strongly advised me not to resume the 
flight under such truly adverse conditions, es- 
pecially as my aeroplane, w T hich had been ex- 
posed to the storm, was soaked and would con- 
sequently be heavy and sluggish. 

However, I did not like to give up my last 
chance without one supreme effort, so decided 
to motor to the field again and see if perhaps 
the conditions were quite so bad as they cer- 
tainly appeared on the roof of the hotel. 

It was, of course, pitch dark, and on arrival 
on the ground the scene was really a wierd one, 
for hundreds of enthusiasts had remained by 
the aeroplane all night in the hope of witness- 
ing the start, and small acetylene bicycle lamps 
alone lit up the extraordinary open-air dormi- 
tory w r hich it for all the world most represented, 
every one being scattered about on the wet 
grass. 

The sound of our arrival had a magical effect 
and soon everything was animation; every one 
cheered, and expectancy ran high for an early; 
start. 

Although the wind was still high and the 
plane very wet, I decided to make a start; but 
before I could get away it came on to rain and 
hail and started to blow up as hard as ever. I 



n8 THE STORY OF THE AEROP! 

saw that it was hopeless and madness to tackle 
a 6o-mile flight in the dark over comparatively 
unknown country under such adverse conditi< 

I announced to the crowd my decision and 
my disappointment in being forced to give up 
the flight, but informed them that immedial 
the weather was favorable it would be my in- 
tention to continue the flight to Manchester, \ 
I would then start on another effort to earn the 
prize, this time in the reverse direction, namely, 
from Manchester to London. 

After more cheering, hand-shakes, and good 
wishes, I returned to the hotel to bed, and was 
soon on my way to Manchester by aeroplane; 
but before I got there 1 awoke. 

And so ended my first day's attempt to fly 
in a heavier-than-air machine from London to 
Manchester. 

The following morning, Sunday, was fine, but 
very windy, so,- there being no particular hurry, 
I went to church with my mother and sister, and 
for the first time prayers were asked For " those 
who travel by land, sea, and in the air/' and 
indeed I had every reason to be thankful that 
no serious accident had overtaken me on such 
an adventurous flight. About 4 p. m. on Sunday 
afternoon on our way to the aeroplane we met 
a motor-car rushing along towards us and con- 
taining one of my mechanics and several friends. 
They excitedly singaled us to stop, and im- 



ATTEMPTS TO WIN PRIZE 119 

mediately informed us that a strong gust of 
wind had just lifted the machine bodily off the 
ground and it had turned upside down and was 
completely wrecked. 

In view of the fact that I had given strict 
instructions for the machine to be staked down 
and strongly tethered with ropes, I was some- 
what naturaley furious when on arrival at the 
grounds I found that my instructions had not 
been carried out, and that such a disaster should 
befall me with a hundred men guarding the 
machine was most exasperating. 

I set to work at once to ascertain the extent 
of the damage, which, on examination, I found 
was very extensive, two bicycles having been 
forced right through the main planes and every 
upright and longitudinal smashed, to say noth- 
ing of the ailerons and the tail. 

I immediately decided that the machine must 
be got back to London at once, so hurried for 
an express-covered truck, and by working hard 
all night we managed to get the entire machine 
dismantled and carted some 7 miles to Litchfield 
Station by 8 a. m. on 'Monday morning; and by 
midday the machine and my men had arrived 
at Willerden Junction, and before 2 p. m. it was 
all safely housed in the Daily Mail garage at 
Wormwood Scrubs. 

I now organized a day and night shift of men 
to effect the repairs with the utmost dispatch, 



120 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

as Paulhan had now arrived and was hurrying 
his machine up to London from Folkestone by 
road. By working day and night and personally 
giving my time and all the host of volunteer 
assistants, the machine was eventually ready for 
flight again by midday on Wednesday, or under 
48 hours since I arrived back in London, and 
considering that it had practically to be entirely 
rebuilt, the record is not a bad one. 

We were ready at Wormwood Scrubs for a 
start at dawn, April 27th, but there was a very 
nasty, gusty wind, and SO any hope of getting 
away had to be temporarily abandoned. In the 
earl}- hours of this morning, M. Paulhan's ma- 
chine had arrived ill London, and his mechanics 
were busily putting it together at I Iendon, where, 
from sonic smooth, suitable fields, he had de- 
cided to make his start for the prize. 

During the morning, finding it impossible to 
make a start, I decided to make a trial flight, 
to see that my repaired machine was in proper 
order. But the crowd on Wormwood Scrubs 
was so huge that it was only after several hours 
of strenuous work that my friends, assisting the 
police in their labors, were able to clear a suf- 
ficiently wide-open space for the purposes of a 
start. 

Motor-cars were used by many of my friends 
to urge the spectators back. Although every- 
body was good-humored, the people did not seem 



ATTEMPTS TO WIN PRIZE 121 

able to understand that it would be impossible 
for me to make a flight unless they stood well 
back. 

Eventually, however, a space was cleared, and 
I brought out the machine about lunch time and 
flew her for a short, straight flight, finding the 
wind very gusty; but I assured myself that the 
repaired machine was in good order. 

Then it became a matter of waiting for the 
wind to drop. There were, of course, some 
hopes of its doing so during the evening. We 
received news from M. Paulhan's hangar, at 
Hendon, that his machine was practically ready 
for a start, but that the aviator considered the 
wind far too high. 

My mechanics having worked practically night 
and day for several days, I instructed them to 
have a rest, and went myself to a neighboring 
hotel, where, after a late lunch, I went to lie 
dow r n and secure a little sleep. 

I was resting here when the news came to me, 
from Hendon, that Paulhan had started for 
Manchester at 5.31 p. m. I hurried out upon 
the Scrubs, with the intention, of course, of get- 
ting away myself as quickly as possible. Re- 
ports which had been brought to me during the 
afternoon made it clear that the wind was both 
high and gusty. 

It was a surprise to me, therefore, to hear 
that Paulhan had started, seeing that news which 



122 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLAXE 

had come to me from Hendon during the after- 
noon made it appear that he would not be likely 
to start at all that day. 

Of course it was a question purely of flyi 
in the wind. He was a more experienced avia- 
tor than I ; and- when I heard that he had 
braved a wind that seemed to be extremely 
treacherous and gusty; I decided to be off my- 
self in pursuit, without any delay. 

I determined, of course, nol to waste a minute. 
The machine w; quickly out of its shed; 

some gerttlfeman, whom 1 had never met before, 
very kindly helped me to button up the le 
of my aviation suit. All was hurry and bus 

Friends wanted me to make another short 
flight to test the machine, hut I decided this 
would he a mere waste of time. Idle engine was, 
therefore, started, and I got away at 6,29 p.m. 
So hurried had been my start that I forg 
take with me a ma]) that had been prepar 
me, and which was to have been placed on die 
footboard before me to indicate the route. 

I found the wind still very gusty when I got 
into the air. However, I rose as quickly as T 
could, and, after a short half-circle of the 
Scrubs, passed directly over the Daily Mail 
garage, and headed for the gasometer I had 
passed round in my first flight. 

The observers were in position here, and I 
saw the flag waving to assure me that I pas 



ATTEMPTS TO WIN PRIZE 123 

within the necessary 5 miles of the Daily Mail 
Office. Then I headed off to Willesden Junc- 
tion, and* was soon flying out over the open 
country. My anxiety, naturally, was to get as 
far as possible before darkness fell. Paulhan, 
I knew, had an hour's start of me, which was 
a, factor enormously in his favor. 

The wind, I found, was not so troublesome 
as I flew on. As is so often the case, it began 
to fall perceptibly as nightfall approached. My 
flight, to the point at which I was compelled 
to descend owing to the gathering darkness, is 
best described in the following table: 



Town. 


Time of passing. 


Watford 


6.;o p.m. 


King's Langley 


6.57 p.m. 


Boxmoor 


7.05 p.m. 


Berkhamstead 


7. 11 p.m. 


Tring 


7.18 p.m. 


Cheddington Junction 


6.16 p.m. 


Leighton 


7.28 p.m. 


Bletchley Jn. 


7.35 P.m. 


W olverton 


7.41 p.m. 


Castlethorpe 


7.45 p.m. 


Roade 


7-55 P.m. 



Miles from start 

18 
21 

25 
28 

32 _ 



4i 
47 
53 
55 
60 






At Roade I was obliged to come down. It 
was getting very dark, and I was afraid that, 
if I went on any further, I might make a bad 
landing when I did descend, and damage my 
machine. The flight to Roade had been prac- 
tically uneventful. At the moment I had to de- 
scend, the conditions for flying were very good. 



124 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

But there was nothing else for it. It would 
have been foolish to fly any further, and then 
have been obliged to come down somewhere 
when it was quite dark, thereby courting an 
almost certain accident. 

I heard, soon after landing, that Paulhan, 
profiting by his hour's start, had been able 
get, before darkness, as far as Litchfield, 117 
miles on his journey to Manchester. This, of 
course, placed him in a far better position than 
J was in. 

My friends arrived soon after i had come 
down, and a doctor at Roade very kindly asked 
me to come in his house and have a rest. While 
] was having something to eat, which I wanted 
very badly, we had a council of war as to what 
should be done next. The position, 50 far as [ 

was concerned, looked very unsatisfactory. 

Paulhan was a long way ahead of me. If 
we both started away from oar respective rest- 
ing-places at the dawn, he would inevitably, of 
course, reach Manchester long before I did. 
There was, naturally, the vague ''sporting 
chance'' that he might have to descend some- 
where before reaching Manchester, thus allow- 
ing me to make up my lost ground. But, from 
the way he had been flying, and from what we 
knew of his careful methods, this was a com- 
paratively remote contingency. 

There seemed only one way for me to retrieve 



ATTEMPTS TO WIN PRIZE 125 

myself, and get out of the bad position his hour's 
lead in starting from London had placed me in. 
I must, if possible, start off in pursuit of him 
before the dawn, and make up my lost ground 
by flying through the dark. 

This was not a prospect, naturally, that one 
would face with complete composure. Xight 
flying was, of course, entirely strange to me. 
The dangers of flying across country, which 
were great enough in the daytime, would, I 
knew, be infinitely increased if I dared to fly 
in the dark. Engine failure, for instance, com- 
pelling a descent, would, I realized, be a far 
more serious business at night, with no possibil- 
ity of picking any landing-place, than a similar 
contingency when faced in broad daylight. 

But, despite the risks, it seemed the only thing 
to do. We talked it over for some time, esti- 
mating the dangers, and discussing the difficul- 
ties of finding the way in the dark. More than 
one of my friends, possessing powerful head- 
lights to their motor-cars, offered to guide me 
by shining the light of their lamps on the road 
ahead. 

I thought myself that I should be able to 
follow the scattered lights along the railway 
line, in addition to being guided by the lights of 
towns. Of course, it was a doubtful business 
altogether; but occasions arise when drastic 
steps are all that are left for one. 



126 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

It was decided at length that I should make 
the attempt. My friends naturally advised de- 
laying my start as long as possible, so as to get 
whatever glimmer of light there was before the 
dawn. 

After a nice rest, I went back to the field 
where my aeroplane was at about 2.30 a. m. it 
was then pitch dark, with no moon, unfortu- 
nately. The lanes all round the field in which 
my machine was standing were thronged with 
people. There were motor-cars everywhere. 
The scene was a strange one, — one, in fact, 
that I shall never forget 

We waited some little time, thinking that the 
moon would perhaps appear. Btit it did not, 
and I was now anxious to be off. So, at 
2.54 A. M., after a final word with my friends, 
I rose in my pursuit of Paulhan. 

It was still completely dark when I got away. 
People were groping their way about the field 
with lanterns. As I had stood beside my ma- 
chine, just before my start, there had been an 
utter blackness facing me, a little relieved, in 
the distance, by the twinkling of some small, 
scattered lights. These, I had been told, betok- 
ened the existence of Roade village and station. 

My start was really something in the nature 
of a confused jumble. Faint lights swept away 
on either side as my machine moved across the 
ground. I could not judge my ascent at all, on 



ATTEMPTS TO WIN PRIZE 127 

account of the darkness. But I elevated as 
quickly as posisble,. and got away from the 
ground smartly. 

Directly I was at a respectable height, I could 
see the lights of the railway station very dis- 
tinctly. I headed towards them. Looking di- 
rectly down, I found that I could distinguish 
nothing on the ground below me. It was all 
a black smudge. I flew right over the lights of 
the railway station and — as I was doing* so — 
my engine be^an to miss fire. It was certainlv 
a very uncomfortable moment — one of the most 
uncomfortable 1 have ever experienced. 

But, very fortunately for me, after a momen- 
tary spluttering, the engine picked up again, and 
fired properly. I had begun to sink towards the 
ground, upon which I knew I could have picked 
out no landing-place in the darkness. As soon 
as my engine began to do its work again, how- 
ever, I rose and continued my flight smoothly. 

One difficulty I experienced, however, was in 
guagmg, accurately, whether I was ascending 
or descending. I had done no night flying of 
any kind before', but I became accustomed, by 
degrees, to watching the movements of my ele- 
vating plane which was silhouetted before me 
against the sky. 

After leaving the lights of Roade behind me, 
I flew on for a while with scarcely anything at 
all. to guide me. The gleam from an occasional 



128 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

signal-box very far below helped me to some 
extent, however, and I was able to pick my way 
through the night to Blisworth, the next station 
along the railway line. 

Here I had to bear away towards the left, in 
order to reach the next station, Weedon. I could 
not see the railway metals at all. Mere and 
there, however, faint lights shone in the dark- 
ness. Some of them were the lights in cotti 
windows. Others, 1 fell sure, were the lights 
of motor car 

I passed over Weedon safely. Now, il seemed 

to me, my eye- were becoming much more ac- 
customed to the darkness. ( ta I flew. The s< 
sation was really a very strange one. I felt 
completely alone in the darkness. The roar of 

my engine was in my ears. When I glanced 
back, small bright flashes of light, forming a 
ring, indicated the discharge of the exhaust from 

the motor. 

Then I lost my way a little, having no railway 
lights to guide me. 1 steered too much off to 
the right. Then J turned back, but could not 
pick up the railway for a little time, and beg 
to wonder what I should do. Fortunately, how- 
ever, I saw some lights below me, and was able 
to rind my way back upon the right con 
again. 

At a little inn by the roadside near the vil- 
lage of Crick, one of my friends, Mr. Frederick 



ATTEMPTS TO WIN PRIZE 129 

Coleman, had arranged with me to draw up his 
motor-car so that its lights shone upon the white- 
washed wall of an inn, and so act as a guide. 
I was on the look-out for this night sign, and 
was able to note it quite easily. I deviated a 
little from the railway line in order to pass over 
it. Whereupon, Mr. Coleman started his car, 
and tore down the road with the intention of 
acting as my guide. 

I actually followed the car for a mile or so, 
flying directly over it. Then I saw that the 
roadway was bearing off too much to the right. 
A goods train came along the railway line at 
the moment. So I turned to the left and fol- 
lowed this, leaving the motor-car to continue 
along the road. 

I flew after the goods train and soon overtook 
it. Then, in the distance, I saw the lights of 
Rugby. I flew right over the town and forged 
ahead. Now it began to get a little lighter. I 
began to see the railway lines beneath me, and 
to distinguish the country around. 

But, with the dawn, a new difficulty assailed 
me. The wind began to rise in heavy, awkward 
gusts. I struggled on against it for some time. 
My machine jumped and danced about in a most 
surprising way. But still I managed to keep 
on. I passed over one railway station after 
another, with the light growing until it was 
perfect daylight. 



130 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

. I saw, however, that I should not be able to 
contend against the wind for very much longer. 
-As I entered the Trent Valley, approaching 
Litchfield, a notoriously windy spot at all times 
of the year, I found the gusts so had that they 
half turned my machine round in the air. I 
kept on a little while longer, but was then forced 
to descend near Pdlesworth, ten miles short of the 

1 Paulhan had readied the previous evenii 
The time of my descent was 4.14 a. • 

I came down in a very lonely field near the 
railway line, and did not see a single soul for 
more than half an hour. I could not leave my 
machine and look for the nearest railway signal- 
box, as the wind was so gusty it would hi 
turned the aeroplane over. Presently, however, 
villagers began to stream up. It was not long 
before the field began to till. 

My friends arrived, too. Most of them had 
motored on, beyond my stopping-place, and had 
been obliged to hasten hack when they heard of 
my descent. 

Now the question came, "Has Paulhan got 
through?" We heard that he had starte from 
Litchfield as soon as it was light,*and had been 
reported well on his way to Manchester. There 
was nothing to do hut wan. 

It was at a quarter past six that the news came 
that Paulhan had actually reached. Manchester, 
that the prize was won. There were cheers 



ATTEMPTS TO WIN PRIZE 131 

raised. Very kind and sympathetic expressions 
of regret at my failure were made also. I sent 
Paulha-n a telegram, congratulating him on his 
success, and told the waiting crowds that he was 
a great aviator, and I only a novice. Where- 
upon the crowd very kindly cried, " Xo, ' no," 
and there was more cheering. 

That evening I made another flight, with the 
intention of reaching Manchester, but the fabric 
on one of the tail-planes of the machine became 
loose, after I had gone a few miles, and I was 
obliged to come down, especially as a storm 
threatened, and it was still very gusty. 

And so this finished the contest. It was an 
extremely interesting and instructive experience 
for me. The long cross-country flights taught 
me a lot. And, as a memento of my race with 
Paulhan, I have a very beautiful cup which was 
presented to me by the proprietors of The Daily 
Mail. 



CHA ! I \ 

P U'LM.w's MEMOS I i >NDON-MANCE ESTER 

FLIGH r 

I am now going to describe the memoral 
flight made by M. Louis Paulhan when he 
ejected an aerial journey from London to Man- 
chester; a distance of [83 miles, winning the 
Jhiily Mail £10,000 prize. 

There ; - liti< rial in1 in this flight, 

M - 

nlhan succeeded 
the in- 

with 

flight he did. A 
skillful and expei iei 
upon him a strain 

of any of his previ( 

course over which he had to 

to him, and extrem 

This point about the difficulty or otherwise of 
a country, so far as the Hying man is concerned, 

132 



S MEMORABLE FLIGHT 133 

may need a li xplanati n 1 ke it und 

standable by the ordinary reader. uld ap- 

pear to anybody who had n< ied the point 

that it would not matter much to an airman what 
the country was like below him, seeing that he 
was passing so easily through the air above it. 

But there are several reasons why a pilot takes 
notice of the country over which he flies. In the 
first place, as I have mentioned before, the sort 
of country he is passing over is highly important 
to him should his engine fail and should he have 
to make an involuntary descent. Apart from 
this, the question of whether the country over 
which he is flying is flat, hilly, or wooded has a 
good deal ance. If a man, for instance, 

r a hilly piece 1 y. he will 

1 > a much greater height than he 

The explana- 

n of this is that, if a machine pa^ . irly 

close to hills while the pilot is flying them, 

frequently assailed by dangerous gusts of 
wind, which b -er the hilltop. 

To a certain v_ also, this question of wind 

gusts or e nportant when a flyer is pass- 

ing over country wl thickly wooded. 

The ideal country is one which is flat. Then, 
whatever wind there is, blows steadily, and the 
pilot does not need to exercise so much caution 
as he would do when passing over unfavorable 
country. In France, when flying* from point to 



134 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

point, pilots as a rule .have many fine open spaces 
suitable for making a landing upon. 

Thus the development of cross-country living 
was much more rapid in France than has been 
the case in England. When more than one of 
the famous foreign livers came to England, and 
saw what sort of a country it was for flying pur- 
poses, they shrugged their shoulder- very ex- 
pressively. More than one of them indeed de- 
clared that cross-country flying in England 
would not be safe until engines were extremely 
reliable. 

As a matter of fact it is difficult to choose a 
route for a cross-country flight in England which 
does not pass over woods, hills, and town-. In 
making such a flight as this, an airman may find 
it necessary to pass over miles of country without 
seeing* below him any spot that would make a 
suitable landing- place should he be compelled to 
descend. 

To plane to earth and land in a town would, of 
course, prove disastrous. Even if the pilot were 
sufficiently skilled to avoid coming to rest upon a 
house, he could scarcely hope to make a safe 
landing in a street, even if he could avoid the 
traffic. There are. too many telegraph wire-, 
chimneys, and such obstructions in a town to 
make any hope of a safe landing. Of course, if 
you picked a spot beforehand, and carefully 
thought out exactly how you were going to come 






PAULHAN'S MEMORABLE FLIGHT 135 

down, and also if the local authorities agreed to 
keep a space clear for you, it might be possible 
to make a descent in the main streets of many a 
town. 

But, generally speaking, the risk when flying 
across country in England is far greater than it 
is when passing from point to point in France. 

The cross-country flight from London to Man- 
chester represented an undertaking of no mean 
order. In fact, more than one of the well-known 
airmen came to look over the course, and were 
not at all pleased with what they saw. 

But Paulhan had done everything he could to 
prepare himself for the flight. He had been over 
the course in a motor-car, and also in a train. He 
had seen the places where it would be necessary 
to fly high in order to avoid dangerous currents 
■of air blowing over hill-tops. 

His aeroplane was very carefully assembled 
at Heiidon, and on the day when he had decided 
to fly, all his preparations had been very carefully 
made. One cannot, when setting out upon such 
a task as this, spend too much time or trouble 
upon preliminaries. I foresaw that before my 
attempt for the prize. More often than not they 
spell success. 

The day upon which the flight was made was a 
very awkward one. In the morning there was 
a good deal of wind, and it gave the impression 
of growing-stronger as j the day advanced. So, 



136 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

as a matter of fact, it did. I had been waiting 
about at Wormwood Scrubs with the idea of 
starting, but the wind was certainly too strong. 

Paulhan waited until the evening, and then 
seeing some improvement in the weather, he de- 
cided to start. After testing his engine to 
that it was running properly he got away, rising 
to a good height in order to clear the country 
upon which there were houses, before he? - 
free of the outskirts of London. 

The ilight from the beginning was an exciting 
one. It will be remembered thai I followed 
Paulhan, and that there was something in the 
nature of a race between tis. The wind was high. 
In the first stage of hi- journey, which carried 
him from London to Lichfield, Paulhan had quite 
as much as he could do to keep his aeroplane on 
an even keel. An ement had 

been made whereby the friend- ni the airman 
could follow his pro Seeing that the metals 

of the London and North Western Railway p 
vided the best possible guide in making the flight 
between the two cities, it was decided that a 
cial train should follow the pilot. 

Starting from Willesden Junction very soon 
after he had got away, this special train, in which 
traveled the aviator's wife, kept pace with him 
more or less all the way. Thus it was possible 
for those in the train to see what a struggle M. 
Paulhan was having with the wind that assailed 
him. 



PAULHAN'S MEMORABLE FLIGHT 137 

The machine he was flying was of practically 
the same type as that I used. It was a Farman 
biplane, with a Gnome motor. The difference, 
however, between Paulhan' s machine and my 
own was that his had the lower main planes cut 
away with the idea of giving the machine greater 
speed. 

More than once, on the first stage of his jour- 
ney, the pilot encountered some extremely nasty 
gusts. Those who were following him in the 
train saw the aeroplane dip and heel over in a 
way that was quite alarming. But Paulhan, for- 
tunately, was a wind flyer of exceptional skill, 
and so he was able to keep on. Once or twice he 
experienced a very unpleasant sensation. 

There are occasionally with winds of a certain 
character what airmen know as " holes in the 
air." This rather curious expression is used be- 
cause it explains very much what the sensation 
of the airman is when he comes across one of 
these gaps. What an " air hole ,? is, really, is a 
sort of gap between two gusts of wind. The 
effect of it upon an aeroplane is curious. It is 
also very unpleasant for the flyer. When it 
comes to an " air hole " the machine, tempora- 
rily deprived of support for its planes, makes a 
drop earthwards. Some of these air holes are 
trifling affairs. Others give a pilot a very un- 
comfortable sensation indeed. Paulhan was ex- 
ceptionally unfortunate in respect of the " air 



138 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

holes" encountered during the first st« his 

flight. 

One or two of the first he met with were - 
bad. But afterwards lie ran into several which 
caused the machine to drop ^<» abruptly and 
alarmingly that the pilot had thoughts, \ or 
twice, of descending to earth. But it was not 
in his nature to abi ich mag 

tude <>nce ii had been begun. 

Describing one <>r two of his experiences in 
this re ilhan d ' It 

was worse th; ne i >f the fastest 

lifts." i ft, in fact, were one or two of th 

drops, that Paulhan was almost thrown ou1 
his driving seat. 1 1 

ping very bard the upright rod or stay which 
came near his left hand. 

As he neared the end of the first stage of 
his aerial journey from London to Manchester, 
Paulhan felt very tired indeed, and he \\ 
to make a safe descent, and wait a few hours, 
until early the next morning, before attempting 
to complete his flight to Manchester. 

] le had an exciting tit lly 

making- the descent at I 
had been flyir 

light falling, lo< rind for a s] 

he could alight. Delaying- ma 
found darkness rapidly comi id deci 

that he would have to come down pretty quickly. 



PAULHAN'S MEMORABLE FLIGHT 139 

The field he chose was a good one, lying quite 
near the railway, and being of a smooth surface, 
but to approach it was a matter of great diffi- 
culty. The aeroplane had to be steered past a 
building with some tall chimneys and also over 
some very dangerous-looking telegraph wires. 
Paulhan's skill, in making this descent, was quite 
remarkable. The few hours which he had, be- 
fore getting away again on his journey to Man- 
chester, he made good use of by sleeping 
soundly. 

The next morning, as soon as it was light, he 
was away. In fact, Paulhan used the very great- 
est judgment in achieving this flight. Had he 
not made a very prompt start upon the second 
stage of his journey, he would undoubtedly have 
encountered so strong a wind that he would have 
been obliged to descend. 

So far as I was concerned, it will be recalled 
that, after starting away in the dark to overtake 
Paulhan, I was forced to descend owing to wind 
gusts. 

It is not likely that Paulhan will ever forget 
that second stage of his flight to Manchester. 
The wind was very strong. No one, save the 
pilot who wrestled with it a thousand feet high, 
could realize how strong it was. 

Had it not been that the prize was so great a 
one, and that it was more than half won, Paulhan 
would have inevitably descended. As it was he 



140 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

battled on, providing a thrilling spectacle for 
those who followed him in the special train. 

One of the occupants of this train has given 
me a brief account of what he saw. " When we 
got up in the morning," he said, " I never thought 
it would be possible for Paulhan to get away at 
all. The wind was not only strong. It was very 
gusty. And, what is more, it seemed to me that 
it would get stronger as the morning advanced. 
As a matter of fact, this is what it did do, and 
Paulhan was in the position of having to combat 
a stronger and stronger wind as he neared Man- 
chester. The only thing that gave him the prize 
was the fact that he exercised such good general- 
ship, and got away witthoul any waiting about, 
so as to complete as much of the journey as he 
could before the wind got Up. 

" I do not suppose that anybody would ever wit- 
ness again such a sight as we saw that morni 
Realizing that there was nothing for it hut to fly 
high, and so get all that there was in the way of 
steady wind, Paulhan climbed up pretty quickly 
after he had started. Even under these favorable 
conditions as regards altitude I do not think I 
have ever seen a machine roll about in the air as 
his did. He was, we could see, incessantly at 
work. One wind gust after another struck the 
machine, and it literally reeled under the 
shock. 

" Up and down it went, and from side to side. 



PAULHAN'S MEMORABLE FLIGHT 141 

Paulhan's pluck and determination were remark- 
able. I do not think that any other man could 
have kept on with such determination as he dis- 
played. It was a strange thing to see how the 
wind got worse and worse as the airman flew on. 
To us, in the train, it was a matter of question as 
to whether he would be able to win through. You 
can imagine our feelings. Here was the pilot 
with nearly all his journey done, and yet with a 
cruel wind conspiring to rob him of his goal, 
almost when it was in sight. 

" The wind seemed to play him all sorts of 
tricks. Sometimes it blew sideways, sometimes 
in front. We could see him varying his altitude 
according to his idea as the best way of combat- 
ing the wind. 

" With immense courage, I think, he climbed 
up until he must have been at least fifteen hun- 
dred feet above the ground. Here, for the time 
being, he seemed to make better weather of it. 
It was quite clear to me that the only thing that 
kept him in the air was the fact that he had deter- 
mined to fly high. 

" Had a man been passing say three or four 
hundred feet above the ground, in such a gusty 
wind as that, he would have undoubtedly been 
blown down. As the minutes went by, towards 
the end of the journey, and we knew that Man- 
chester was coming nearer and nearer, I must 
confess that our excitement grew greater. I do 



H2 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

not think that M. Paulhan's wife, or his French 
friends who were in the train, will ever forget 
those moments of tense anxiety. The unspoken 
question which flashed into everybody's mind 
was, - Will he succeed, or will the wind beat him 
down when victory is literally in sight? ' 

" Presently, very far away, the smoke of Man- 
chester came into view. It was clear that the 
airman could see his goal. 1 le came down a little 
very cautiously. Every second now the tension 
upon us grew r, particularly when, as 

though intent upon a final onslaught, the wind 
blew r even more gustily. For several seconds, on 
more than one occasion, it appeared as though 
the aeroplane were completely at the mercy of the 
gusts. It heeled over more severely than it had 
done at any previous point of the flight. What 
I think, as a matter of fact, was that the pilot was 
becoming tired. 

" He had had a dreadful time, and his arm, as 
he told us afterward, ached most terribly from 
the manipulation of the steering lexer. Luckily 
— although it was scarcely luck, seeing that he 
had displayed such extraordinary skill — Paul- 
han got through all right. But it is a fact that, 
very shortly after he came to earth, such a wind 
was blowing as would have made it impossible 
for any man, however clever to keep in the 
air." 

Paulhan, in his own words, gave a very strik- 



PAULHAN'S MEMORABLE FLIGHT 143 

ing idea of what he had gone through. " I would 
not make a flight like that again for ten times 
ten thousand pounds. I had a fearful time. It 
was n't the strength of the wind so much as the 
tricky way in which it blew. 

" Cross-country flying in England is no joke, 
indeed. The last part of my flight resolved itself 
into a sort of a race against time — or rather 
against the wind. It was clear to me, when I first 
studied the morning, that the wind was going to 
rise gradually. But, having got more than half 
way to Manchester, there was no question of 
stopping, and I decided to push ahead. I think, 
once or twice when I had been flying before in 
France, I had met with a wind which was as high 
as the one I encountered in this last stage of my 
flight. But I had certainly never been up in one 
which had blown so gustily. 

" In future, when I hear that a man is regarded 
as being a very fine cross-country flyer in Eng- 
land, I shall say that he is, indeed, a very clever 
man. It was really what you might call ' touch 
and go ' with me once or twice just before I got 
to Manchester. 

" My machine, however, was in perfect order, 
and the engine — what wonderful pieces of work 
these Gnome machines are — never gave me any 
trouble of the slightest kind. 

" Had I had engine trouble, in such a wind as 
was blowing, my predicament would have been 



i 4 4 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

indeed an awkward one. To plane down succ 
fully, after an engine failure at 1,000 feet, would 
have been almost impossible. Of course, in such 
circumstances, I should have come down a: 
steep an angle as possible." 












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CHAPTER X 

NOTABLE FLYING RECORDS 

After having realized the difficulties of the 
earliest pioneers of flying, I think the reader 
should next be shown what has now become pos- 
sible, even with the admittedly crude machines 
which we possess to-day. Therefore, in the next 
few sections of my book, I shall describe the most 
notable feats which have been achieved by the 
world's airmen. 

Seeing that in no department of flying is the 
rapid progress that has been made more clearly 
demonstrated than in the making of long flights, 
I have had prepared a list giving sixty of the 
most interesting of these performances. It is 
appended. 

One could not very well have a more definite 
proof of the advance made with aeroplanes than 
in comparing the first and the last flight as re- 
corded on this list. From 55 minutes in the air, 
the time gradually creeps up until we see that a 
man has remained aloft for 8 hours 35 minutes. 

At the time of writing this flight constitutes 
a record, but there is no reason why it should 

1 i45 



146 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

do so for long. Ten and twelve hour flights, 
and even longer in the air, are sure to be made. 
M. Tabuteau, whose 8 hour 35 minute flight 
represents the most astonishing thing yet done 
in long-distance work, was flying, at the time, 
a Maurice Farman biplane, fitted with an air- 
cooled Renault motor. 

During the long period he was in the air, M. 
Tabuteau circled round and round an aero- 
drome. He was competing for the Mich el in 
long-distance prize, and was compelled therefore 
to keep to a given track. 

A year or so ago, had it been declared that a 
man could steer an aeroplane for such a length 
of time without coming to the ground, apart al- 
together from the question of his engine run- 
ning for so long, the person making such a state- 
ment w r ould have been laughed at as a wild 
dreamer. 

Yet M. Tabuteau made the flight without any 
inconvenience at all. Warmly wrapped up, he 
circled the aerodrome with absolute precision. 
Were it, as some people still allege, an extra- 
ordinarily difficult and nerve-racking business 
to fly an aeroplane, it would have been impossi- 
ble for this pilot to have remained aloft for this 
length of time. 

Had he done so, even, he might have been 
expected to return to earth a complete wreck. 
As it was, however, M. Tabuteau complained 



NOTABLE FLYIXG RECORDS 147 

of nothing more serious than the monotony of 
continually going round and round his course 
for so long a time. This feat, in which the air- 
man met with no inconvenience at all save that 
of becoming " bored " with the performance, 
strikes me as affording one of the most conclu- 
sive evidences of the growing practicability of 
the aeroplane. 

Farman, whose flight of 28854 miles comes 
second on the list, prepared a special machine 
with which to undertake the flights for the 
Michelin trophy Besides placing on it exten- 
sions to the main planes, in order that it might 
lift the weight of petrol and oil necessary for so 
long an aerial journey, Mr. Farman arranged 
very ingeniously for his own comfort. Instead 
of sitting upon a small, exposed seat, such as 
is usually embodied in the Farman machine, the 
pilot had built a sort of motor-car body. 

This was fitted to the machine in the ordinary 
place. It was a kind of torpedo body, with a 
wind shield which protected Mr. Farman to a 
great extent from the cold. He ascended with 
food and drink with him, and made himself as 
comfortable as possible during his aerial jour- 
ney, which lasted for 8 hours 22 minutes. 

All the time, Mr. Farman was circling a 
course, as M. Tabuteau had done. In order to 
give himself a rest while flying he had had the 
steering-lever removed from its ordinary posi- 



148 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

tion at the pilot's right hand and fixed between 
his legs. 

In this way, he was able to use one hand and 
then the other to control his machine. It is in- 
teresting to note, also, that on the straight por- 
tions of the flying course he was able to let go 
of the lever with both hands and keep his air- 
craft straight by shifting the lever slightly, when 
necessary, with his knees. 

This is another indication of the stability of 
the aeroplane. It rather destroys the view of 
some people who are still prejudiced against 
flight. They draw pictures of the airman, when 
he is aloft, sitting with strained countenance 
and convulsively gripping his levers as though; 
were he to take his hand away from one for the 
veriest instant, it would be sufficient to send 
him dashing to his death. 

As a matter of fact, on a fine day, an aero- 
plane in flight requires very little attention at 
all. A very slight movement of the lever every 
now and then is all that is necessary. 

Chief amongst the English long-distance fly- 
ers must be placed Mr. S. F. Cody. On De- 
cember 31st, 1 9 10, at Laffan's Plain, Mr. Cody 
flew for 4 hours 47 minutes. This performance 
was all the more creditable seeing that it was 
made on a biplane which was entirely of his own 
construction. 

Mr. Cody has spent several years in a study of 



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NOTABLE FLYING RECORDS 149 

aviation. During that time he has pursued many 
original lines of research. He has refused to 
be discouraged by adverse circumstances. Noth- 
ing has, in fact, daunted this intrepid pioneer. 
Greatly to his credit as an engineer is the work- 
manlike finish of his machine. He has also de- 
voted an immense amount of attention to aero- 
plane engines. Few men know more than he 
does about their peculiarities. Mr. Cody is, in- 
deed, a born engineer. 

Of course, the question of these long-distance 
flights is one in which the development of the 
engine is all important. Had it not been that the 
makers of aeroplane motors had increased the 
reliability of their products to a very remarkable 
extent, such flights would have been impossible. 
In the beginning, aeroplane motors had to be 
coaxed to make a flight of even a few minutes. 
Now, when wanted, such a motor can run on at 
high speed for more than 8 hours without 
failing. 

Fifteen of the flights which head the list I 
have given are of 4 hours' duration and longer. 
Surely no more encouraging sign is wanted than 
this? Its motor is the heart of the aeroplane; 
and there is every indication that difficulties in 
connection with it are being overcome. 

One of the most important developments of 
flying has been the making of cross-country 
journeys. In the section of my book which fol- 



150 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

lows I shall deal with the most notable of these 
flights. In order that the strides which have 
been made may be clearly understood I have pre- 
pared a list of some of the most notable per- 
formances in this direction. This list I append 
below. It comprises the most meritorious flights 
achieved during the last two years by famous 
pilots. 

A year or so ago, when flying was in its in- 
fancy, the idea that a voyage through the air 
between Paris and Brussels and back in a 
power-driven aeroplane would be achieved be- 
fore the end of 1910 would have been regarded 
as a wild and impossible dream. 

Yet so great has been the progress made in 
aviation that we find this flight actually accom- 
plished in October last. Adding to the re- 
markable nature of the flight was the fact that 
the pilot, M. Wvnmalen, carried with him a 
passenger. 

The flight was made with seven stops. As an 
illustration of the practicability of the aeroplane, 
these halts were very valuable. They meant the 
ability of the pilot, as he flew along, to pick out 
a suitable landing spot in country that he had 
not seen before, and make a safe descent, de- 
spite the additional weight of the passenger. 
The halts indicated also that the pilot was able, 
in each case, to rise again from the land upon 
which he had descended. This flight, which 



NOTABLE FLYING RECORDS 151 

was in the nature of an aerial tour, did a great 
deal towards showing the public what could be 
done by aeroplanes. 

For this summer (1911), already, a number 
of such aerial tours have been arranged. What 
is wanted is for some pilot to start away and pay 
visits for a week or two by means of the aero- 
plane, carrying his luggage with him, and treat- 
ing the aircraft exactly as though it were a 
motor-car. Such a project is perfectly feasible. 
M. Wynmalen's three-hundred-and-fifty-mile 
flight is certain to be exceeded during 191 1, see- 
ing that in one contest alone the scheme is to 
visit several of the capitals of Europe, includ- 
ing London. 

Following upon the achievement of Monsieur 
A. Weyman, who figures second on the list of 
long-distance cross-country flyers with a 231- 
mile journey from Paris to Clement Ferrand 
with a passenger, comes — I am glad to state — 
the performance of an English airman, Mr. T. 
Sopwith. 

In the De Forest contest, which was for the 
longest aerial journey into France, made by a 
British pilot on an entirely British-built ma- 
chine, Mr. Sopwith achieved a splendid 174- 
mile journey into Belgium. 
. His performance was all the more remark- 
able and creditable, seeing that this flight consti- 
tuted the first occasion upon which Mr. Sopwith 



152 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

had flown across country. Previously, his fly- 
ing had been done at the Brooklands aerodrome, 
At the time he made his flight, Mr. Sopwith had 
only been piloting an aeroplane for a few weeks. 

The British-built machine which he used was 
a biplane constructed by Mr. Howard Wright. 
Driving it was an E. N. V. engine of the type 
built in England. It had eight cylinders, and 
developed 60 to 80 horse-power. 

Mr. Sopwith carried with him on his flight 
a sufficient amount of petrol for a seven-hour 
journey. Actually, he was in the air for three 
hours and forty minutes. He Hew all the time 
at a high speed owing to the fact that he was 
aided by a following wind. Mr Sopwith 
crossed the English Channel between Dover 
and Cape Grisnez. 

Of the other flights that one sees in the list, 
a good many of them have been achieved by 
military airmen. This is a notahle fact. It 
shows that airmanship, as applied to the army, 
is a very real thing. In France, particularly, 
where most of these long* cross-country flights 
have been made, the officers engaged in the air 
service betray the greatest keenness to eclipse 
each other's performances 

First on the list is Lieut. Bellanger, who flew 
from Chalons for a two-hundred-mile cross- 
country tour on Sept. 29, 1910. This flight was 
undertaken with a view to demonstrate how use- 



NOTABLE FLYING RECORDS 153 

ful the aeroplane could be in war-time for car- 
rying out an extended survey of the country 
round. This question of aeroplane in war I shall 
deal with exhaustively later on. 

In regard to notable performances made by 
airmen in speed-flying, high-flying, cross-Chan- 
nel and over-sea flights, also in aerial journeys 
with passengers, and in cross-country flights 
in stages, I propose to make one section of my 
book cover this field. 

I shall first deal with speed flying. Ap- 
pended are the chief speed flights as now 
recognized by the International Aeronautical 
Federation. 

In connection with speed flying, I have dealt 
so fully with the question in other parts of my 
book, that all one can say here is that the aim 
of constructors is now to increase the speed of 
their machines. 

This is not done with the mere desire for 
speed itself, but to give an aeroplane power to 
fly in higher winds. At present, with speeds of 
forty, fifty, and sixty miles an hour, aeroplanes 
are able, occasionally, to venture aloft in winds 
of twenty and twenty-five miles an hour. If 
the ideal can be reached, which is a speed of one 
hundred miles an hour, it is hoped that aviators 
will be independent of any wind short of a gale. 

I now give a list of the principal high flights 
which have been made. 



154 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

After studying this list of high flights, a 
reader may well ask " What is the limit? " 

The answer is rather a difficult one. In the 
early days of flying more than one person de- 
clared that one thousand feet would represent 
the greatest height it would be possible to reach. 
But that was very soon proved to be wrong. 
Then some experts declared that five thousand 
would be the limit. Here again, however, they 
were proved to be wrong. One of the most ex- 
pert of flying men predicted, during the summer 
of 1910, that ten thousand feet would certainly 
be as high as it would be practicable to fly, see- 
ing that, after such an altitude had been reached, 
the motor on an aeroplane would lose its power. 

But that even this estimate was wrong is in- 
dicated by the best performance on the list [ 
have given. On Dec. 26, [910, Mr. Archie 
Hoxsey, the brilliant .American liver who losl his 
life five days after creating this record, ascended 
to an altitude of 11,476 feet. 

He was using one of the new type of Wright 
biplanes. These machines are smaller, lighter, 
and much speedier than were the original 
models. In high climbing they have revealed 
quite extraordinary powers, and they have also 
proved themselves to be extraordinarily effi- 
cient machines when piloted in high winds. 

Second to the late Mr. Hoxsey comes M. 
Legagneux, who, after piloting a biplane for 



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NOTABLE FLYING RECORDS 155 

some time, became a monoplane flyer, and 
reached an altitude of 10,746 feet at Pau on the 
9th of December, using for the flight a Bleriot 
monoplane. 

More than one authority now expresses the 
view that one record after another will be es- 
tablished until a height of twenty thousand feet 
has been reached by aeroplane. 

The next matter of record-making to concern 
us is in connection with the carrying of passen- 
gers. This problem is, of course, a very im- 
portant one. It is a fact, however, that no 
very definite experiments have as yet been made 
in regard to the maximum of weight which it 
may be possible to lift into the air by means of 
aeroplane. Progress has been directed more to 
obtaining reliable machines to carry one person, 
and perhaps one passenger, than to evolving a 
regular passenger-carrying machine. 

Important in this respect, naturally, is the reg- 
ular two-seated machine which has been con- 
structed by M. Bleriot. This passenger-carry- 
ing monoplane has been seen in regular flight 
at the aviation meetings of 19 10. Equipped 
with a fifty horse-power engine, it has flown 
very well, proving itself to be extremely stable. 

Now, with a one hundred horse-power engine 
at his disposal, M. Bleriot is experimenting with 
a monoplane which will have a seating accom- 
modation for four people. 



156 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

As a matter of fact, passenger-carrying is 
very largely a case of increased engine power. 
When engines more powerful than the one hun- 
dred horse-power model are obtainable, an in- 
crease in passenger-carrying will be attempted. 
In this connection, it is interesting to note that 
more than one well-qualified expert sees no rea- 
son why passenger-carrying should not be devel- 
oped, fairly quickly, until it is possible to take 
a dozen people across country by means of the 
aeroplane. 

I append below a List of twenty-six of the 
most important passenger-carrying flights that 
have been made. 

As things stand at present, and with engin 
of existing types it would be possible to build, to- 
day, an aeroplane to raise six people in the air. 
In this connection, it should he remembered that 
military tests, which are to take place in the 
autumn, require that a machine should he built 
capable of carrying four men as its normal 
" Crew." 

A very interesting series of records concerns 
the passage of machines across the sea. His- 
toric, in many cases, have been the flights made 
across the English Channel between Dover and 
Calais. Up to the present time the Channel has 
been crossed seven times by aeroplane. On two 
occasions, in the flights of Mr. Hubert Latham, 
machines have fallen into the water without seri- 



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NOTABLE FLYING RECORDS 157 

ous injury to the pilot, but with disastrous results 
to themselves — the aeroplanes being wrecked in 
each case. Regarding a third attempt, that of 
Mr. Cecil Grace — after he had flown from 
Dover to Calais, and was returning to Dover — 
the sea claimed a victim. Xo sadder calamity 
than this is on record. I append a list of eleven 
of the principal flights that have been made over 
water. 

Very illuminating, as showing the progress 
made in cross-country flying, is the list that has 
been prepared for me showing the chief aerial 
journeys in stages which have been made up to 
the present time. 

The most important figures refer to the Circuit 
of the Eastern part of France made in the sum- 
mer of 1 9 10, by a number of airmen who were 
seeking to win a valuable prize ottered by the 
great Paris daily paper, the Matin. 

The table in this case more or less explains 
itself. It shows how extraordinarily well M. 
Leblanc and Aubrun, both of whom were flying 
Bleriot monoplanes, were able to maintain their 
average, and escape disaster when landing at the 
various stages. Altogether, in this remarkable 
air race, a distance of 497 miles was flown across- 
country by the two pilots who competed the total 
course. The table is appended. 

Bielovucie's journey from Paris to Bordeaux, 
one of the most interesting voyages yet under- 



158 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

taken, was done with the idea of showing that the 
aeroplane can already vie with the train. The 
airman was engaged at fly at Bordeaux. Instead 
of packing up his machine and sending it by train, 
he decided to fly the distance, which was three 
hundred and fifty miles. I lc did it, without acci- 
dent, in a total living time of about 7 ! _« hours, 
the journey actually occupying him three days. 

Another interesting feature of the table is Far- 
man and Paulhanfs combined journey. These air- 
men did a very instructive cr >untry trip of 
about two hundred miles, taking it in turns 
steer the machine. This was another illustration, 
and a very striking one, of the practicability 
the aeroplane. 



CROSS-COUNTRY FLIGHTS IN STAGES 

"Matin" Prise. Circuit d'Est 
1st stage. Aug. 7th, 1910. Issy-les-Mounlineaux-Troyes. 84H miles 

Leblanc lh. 32m. 20s. 

Aubrun lh. 37m. 35s. 

Lindpainter .... 2h. 25s. 

Legagneux .... 3h. 59m. 35s. 

2nd stage. Aug. 9th, 1910. Troyes-Nancy. 103 miles 

Leblanc 2h. 19m. lis. 3h. o2m. 9s. 

Aubrun 2h. 27m. 40s. 4h. 5m. 15s. 

Legagneux .... 5h. 31m. 26s. 9h. 31m. Is. 

3rd stage Aug. 11th, 1910. Nancv-Mezieres-Charleville. 100 miles 

Leblanc 2h. 6m. 20s. 5h. 28m. 29s. 

Aubrun 3h. 41m. 27s. 7h. 47m. 42s. 

4th stage Aug. 13th, 1910. Mezieres-Charleville-Douai. 843^ miles 

Leblanc 3h. 3m. 9h. lm. 36s. 

Aubrun 2h. 20m. lOh. 6m. aOs. 

5th stage. Aug. 15th, 1910. Douai-Amiens. 50 miles. 

Leblanc lh. 8m. lOh. 14m. 54s. 

Aubrun lh. 25m. llh. 36m. 6s. 

6th stage Aug. 15th, 1910. Amiens-Issy-les-Moulineaux. 75 miles 

Leblanc lh. 53m. 28s. 12h. 8m. 22s. 

Aubrun 2h. 3m. 13h. 28m. lis. 

Total distance flown: 497 miles. 

Maurice Farman's Paris-Bordeaux flight 

1st stage Buc-Chartres 53m. 42 miles 9 12 09 

2nd stage Chartres-Orleans 50m. 42 miles 31/12/09 

H. Farman and Paulhan's combined journey 

H. Farman Etampes-Chevillv 50 miles Apr. 1/th, 1910 

L. Paulhan Chevilly-Arcis-sur-Aube 110 miles Apr. 18th, 1910 
L. Paulhan Arcis-sur-Aube-Chalons 40 miles Apr, 19th, 1910 
Total distance about 200 miles in about 5 hours 

Bielovucie's Paris to Bordeaux journey 

1st stage Issv-Orleans 78 miles lh. lam. 1/8/10 

2nd stage Orleans-Chatellarault- 197 miles 2/8, 10 

Angouleme 
3rd stage Angouleme-Bordeaux 75 miles 3/8/10 

Total distance of flight: 350 miles. Time about l l A hours 



CHAPTER XI 

THE AEROPLANE DEATH ROLL AND ANALYSIS 
OF MANY FATAL ACCIDENTS 

In this chapter, I shall deal, in as full a way 
as possible, with the aeroplane accidents which 
have caused the deaths either of the pilots or 
of passengers 

I have had very carefully prepared a list of 
the fatalities up to the time of writing. I shall 
endeavor, where possible, to analyze the causes 
of these accidents. 

My material in doing so will be the accounts 
which have been given of the catastrophes by 
people who have seen them. The objection can, 
no doubt, be raised that these stories of eye-wit- 
nesses have, in some cases, been confusing. But 
this material is all we have, so we must make 
the best of it. 

I will now append the list of the thirty-seven 
fatalities which have marred the progress of fly- 
ing from the year 1896 to April 1, 191 1. 

After the reader has scanned this list he will 
be better able to appreciate the comments which 
I shall make upon it. The death roll is appended. 

i59 



160 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

First one finds the date of the accident, then the 
name of the pilot, followed by the place where the 
catastrophe took place, and, when known, the 
type of machine that the airman was using. 

The first two victims, as given on our list, were 
the very early pioneers of flying. Both Lilienthal 
and Pilcher were ardent advocates of gliding. 
Both of them devoted their lives to discovering 
the plane construction which gave the greatest 
" lift," and also the arrangement of planes which 
provided the greatest stability in flight. 

Lilienthal was the first martyr. After carry- 
ing out a very great number of experiments with 
a gliding machine of biplane form, Lilienthal fell 
to the ground while making a glide, and was 
killed. The exact cause of the accident is not 
known, but it is fairly clear that he lost control 
of the glider. 

LilienthaTs work was o\ extreme value to those 
who, following him, bad the petrol motor at their 
service, and were able to design a machine that 
was power driven. 

All LilienthaFs experiments of course, and 
those of Pilcher as well, were conducted with 
small machines in which no motor was fixed. As 
I have explained in another portion of this book, 
their method was to proceed with their machines 
to the top of a hill and then glide down the side 
of it. 

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DEATH ROLL AXD ACCIDEXTS 161 

coveries regarding the way in which the up and 
down movement and sideway control of an aero- 
plane could be affected. 

Pilcher, who followed him as one of the vic- 
tims of aerial research, devoted most of his atten- 
tion to gliding machines on the single surface or 
monoplane principle. His pioneer work, like that 
of Lilienthal's, provided later experimenters with 
a very great amount of valuable data. 

Pilcher's death, *as did that of Lilienthal, oc- 
curred while he was making a glide, through the 
sudden plunging of the machine to earth. Both 
these men were unfortunate in being killed. It 
was through their courage in attempting work 
with unknown and untried machines that disaster 
came to them. 

Nowadays, gliding is an extremely safe and 
simple sport. It owes its safety to the fact that 
only gliding machines of an accepted form and 
of a well-proved stability are employed. 

It is comforting to think, when one refers to 
the deaths of Lilienthal and Pilcher, that their 
devotion to the science of airmanship, and the 
sacrifice of their lives, was not in vain. They 
have given us facts that have been of the utmost 
use. 

Working as they did before a petrol motor was 
ready to be put in a flying machine, they did a 
vast amount of preliminary work in determining 
the most suitable types of plane surfaces and 
controls. 



1 62 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

The first victim of a power-driven aeroplane 
was Lieutenant Selfridge, of the American army. 
Ascending at Fort Myer on Sept. 17, 1908, with 
Mr. Orville Wright, in a Wright biplane, he met 
his death in an accident which has not yet been 
satisfactorily explained. The machine was ap- 
parently flying quite well when, as is so often 
explained by spectators who are present at a 
disaster — " something happened. " The machine 
was flying at a fair height. 

Mr. Wright lost control of it. It fell very 
heavily. In addition to the fact that Lieutenant 
Selfridge was killed, Mr, Wright had a thigh 
broken, and sustained a very serious shock. One 
of the explanations that I have heard advanced 
was that one of the chains which drove the pro- 
pellers broke while in flight. Another theory is 
that the control wires gave way somewhere. 

But the machine was too great a wreck for any 
theory to be proved. This is a point that needs 
emphasizing. In the majority of really bad acci- 
dents a machine is very badly broken up. The 
result is that it is extremely difficult, and in many 
cases quite impossible, to determine whether any 
portion of the apparatus gave way in the air. 

The death of Lieutenant Selfridge caused a 
great gloom over the then small but enthusiastic 
world of aviation. Up to that point, a good many 
flights, although brief, had been made without 
accident, and it came as a great shock to many 



DEATH ROLL AXD ACCIDENTS 163 

people to realize that this element of danger 
lurked in flying. 

The death of Lefevre, who was the pilot of a 
Wright biplane, and the next victim on the list 
of airmen killed, occurred soon after the great 
Rheims flying meeting of 1909. At this meeting 
Lefevre had flown his biplane with a skill that 
aroused the greatest enthusiasm. 

One evening, particularly, he carried out dar- 
ing evolutions near the grand-stand which made 
the people cheer and cheer again. His tricks 
consisted in extraordinary rapid turns, with his 
aeroplane banked up at the high angle which is 
possible with an experienced pilot of the Wright 
machine. He also made his aeroplane rise and 
fall very rapidly. 

These feats rather gave Lefevre the reputation 
of being an over-daring pilot. But, as a matter 
of fact, I am told that he exercised a great deal 
of judgment when flying. His death was cer- 
tainly not due to any piece of recklessness. 

He was flying a new Wright biplane at the 
Juvisy aerodrome on Sept. 7, 1909. It had been 
bought by a customer, and Lefevre was ascend- 
ing to see that it was in good running order. 
Soon after he had started his flight, and while he 
was quite close to the ground, the machine sud- 
denly dipped down forwards and crashed to earth. 
Lefevre was killed almost instantaneously. In 
this case, the aeroplane was so hopelessly wrecked 



1 64 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

that any explanation of the disaster was not 
forthcoming. 

But it was pretty clear that the pilot was not 
to blame for the accident. What was generally 
assumed, I think, was that the gear controlling 
the elevating plane broke, and that the machine 
became, in a second, beyond control. 

Captain Ferber, of the French Army, who met 
with his death on Sept. 22, 1909, was a great 
worker and a great thinker in the cause of 
airmanship. 

His experiments had been conducted on a very 
definite and useful scale. lie had devoted him- 
self, especially, to the question of the efficiency of 
aeroplane propellers. One device of his that I 
remember very well was the fixing up of an aero- 
plane propeller upon a sort of miniature motor- 
car. He then made the air-propeller draw the car 
along — thus testing its u pull " in a very practi- 
cal way. 

Captain Ferber began flying upon a Yoisin 
biplane. At the Rheims meeting of 1909 he was 
a competitor in a good many events, adopting the 
" flying name " of De Rue. 

Soon after the conclusion of the Rheims carni- 
val Captain Ferber was induced to visit Boulogne 
in order to take part in a demonstration of flying 
which had been arranged there. His death was 
caused in a very curious way. It illustrated the 
fact, that a man might meet with very grave dis- 



DEATH ROLL AND ACCIDENTS 165 

aster in an aeroplane even when moving along 
quite close to the ground. Ferber was flying in 
the evening, and was attempting to make a turn 
while very close to the ground. 

One of the wing-tips of his machine touched 
the ground, and the machine turned over. The 
shock was so violent that the aeroplane was badly 
wrecked. Unfortunately for Ferber, the engine, 
which was jerked out of its bed, fell upon him. 

When picked up he did not appear to be very 
badly injured. But he died quite suddenly, soon 
after having been extricated from his machine, 
owing to the internal injuries which he had 
received. 

Ferber's death indicated the need for a pilot 
to keep well away from the ground when making 
a turn. It showed, too, that there was a danger, 
w r hen a machine was wrecked, of the engine fall- 
ing upon the pilot. In the Voisin, as in many 
other machines, the pilot in those days — and to 
a great extent the same remark applies to con- 
struction now — sat immediately in front of his 
motor. 

Another flyer who figured in the programme 
at the first Rheims meeting, Sefior Fernandez, a 
Spanish airman, met his death on Dec. 6, 1909. 
His was the next fatal accident following that 
of Ferber. Senor Fernandez did not fly at all at 
the Rheims meeting. His biplane, which w^as one 
of his own construction, and rather resembled 
the famous Curtiss machine, was not ready. 



1 66 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

Afterwards, at Nice, he managed to get it into 
flying trim, and made several good flights. All 
the accounts of his death indicate that some por- 
tion of his machine gave way while in the air. 
The criticism had, in fact, been leveled against 
it previously that it was not sufficiently strong in 
a good many respects. Poor Fernandez fell from 
a considerable height and was instantly killed. 

Now we come to the death of Delagrange, one 
of the great pioneers of aviation, and the man 
who followed Farman as an early pilot of the 
Voisin biplane. After a number of flights, both 
in France and in England, Delagrange was ex- 
perimenting on Jan. 4, 1910, with a Bleriot mono- 
plane, fitted with a 50 horse-power Gnome motor. 
This engine was of much greater power than the 
Anzani one which had been previously fitted to 
Bleriot machines. 

Delagrange had tried this machine for the first 
time at the Doncaster aviation meeting, where he 
attained a speed of 50 miles an hour. Ascending 
at Pau, on the day of his death, in a rather gusty 
wind, he was flying near the sheds, when, in the 
words of one who saw the accident, " the machine 
seemed to fold up suddenly and come to the 
ground." Delagrange was killed, and the ma- 
chine was fearfully wrecked. 

Regarding the cause of the accident, accounts 
have varied perplexingly. One explanation was 
that a strengthening rod, fixed between the 



DEATH ROLL AND ACCIDENTS 167 

planes, had been accidentally left out of the ma- 
chine before the flight. Another was that the 
aeroplane was not sufficiently strong to stand the 
strain of being forced through the air so fast by 
the Gnome motor. It was clear, I think, that one 
of the wings collapsed. My view, although given 
tentatively, is that the machine was struck by an 
unusually heavy gust, and that the wing that col- 
lapsed would not stand the shock. That any 
great blame attached to any one in connection 
with the accident I do not think. The machine 
had flown well before, and it had been strength- 
ened to withstand its extra pow r er. 

It is curious that the next death chronicled, 
that of Leblon, should follow immediately after 
the fatal accident to Delagrange. Leblon was 
Delagrange's pupil, and also one of his friends. 
His fall into the sea at San Sebastian on April 2, 
1910, will be described by me in the chapter I shall 
devote to this exceedingly clever pilot. His was 
an altogether mysterious accident. The cause of 
his death w r as attributed by doctors to the fact 
that he had some sort of fit while flying too soon 
after lunch, and so lost control of his machine. 
As reasons for this argument were brought for- 
ward on medical grounds, I do not see any reason 
why it should not be accepted, although some 
attribute the accident to engine failure. 

M. Hauvette-Michelifi, who comes next on the 
death-roll, w r as a very young airman^ who had 



1 68 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

taken up flying quite for the love of the sport. 
He was, at the time of his fatal accident, learning 
to pilot an Antoinette monoplane. 

His death was a very remarkable one. The 
pilot was actually killed while his machine was 
on the ground. M. Hauvette-Michelin had had 
his monoplane sent to the flying meeting at Lyons. 
Here, in the evening, after flying was over for 
the day, he was practicing. 

He was running his machine along the ground 
at the time of the accident. Marking the course 
were several built-up wooden pylons or mark- 
towers. Into one of these the pilot ran. The col- 
lision was so serious that the pylon fell over on 
the pilot, and injured him so much that he died. 

Herr T. Robl, a well-known racing motor- 
cyclist, who had taken Up aviation, was the next 
victim. He was performing at Stettin on a Far- 
man biplane on June iS, [910. 

It appears, from accounts which have been re- 
ceived, that a large crowd had come together to 
witness flying, and that the day had been blank 
on account of a dangerous wind which was 
blowing. 

In the evening, so as not to disappoint the 
crowd entirely, Robl came out. Whether he did 
so knowing the risk that he would run or not, 
I am not sure. At any rate, he seems to have 
attempted a flight in a wind that was dangerous, 
although the exact velocity is not recorded. 



DEATH ROLL AND ACCIDEXTS 169 

He flew for a little while, and then, when at a 
good height, his machine seems to have been over- 
turned by a gust and the airman was killed. His 
death aroused at the time, and very rightly, a 
storm of indignation. It was held to be an illus- 
tration of the danger of demanding a flight under 
bad conditions just because a crowd of people had 
paid their money to see a man fly. 

As a writer in the London Daily Mail re- 
marked : " Even after having paid a shilling, one 
is not entitled to see a man killed." The public is 
not, I suppose, very much to blame in such a case. 
They feel that they want their money's worth, 
and they are not judges as to whether conditions 
are suitable for flying or not. But a grave re- 
sponsibility rests with the organizers of any 
meeting who suggest to a man that he should go 
out and fly in order to please the crowd when a 
dangerously gusty wind is blowing. 

We go to the second carnival of flying at 
Rheims before we come to the death of the next 
airman. This was M. C. Wachter. He was a 
pilot of the Antoinette monoplane. Becoming a 
very proficient manipulator of this machine M. 
Wachter had been, for some time prior to his 
death, an instructor of the flying school operated 
by the Antoinette Company at Chalons. 

On the day of his death, July 3, 1910, the pilot 
had been flying very brilliantly. Going out for 
the long-distance contest, he had flown through 



170 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

a storm of rain rather than descend. Soon after 
he started another flight. He was about 500 feet 
high when it w r as seen by those watching from the 
sheds that he was in trouble. To the observers, 
even those specially able to judge, all that hap- 
pened, apparently, was that one of the wings of 
his machine folded up. 

The machine fell at a dreadful speed, and was 
reduced to a mass of wreckage. Wachter was 
killed on the spot. Although the wreckage of 
the machine was examined afterwards with the 
greatest care no theory could be advanced from 
it to account for the accident. 

One expert who was present told me that he 
thought the passing of the machine through the 
rain storm, which would have soaked its canvas/ 
might have accounted for the collapse of a wing, 
had the pilot suddenly turned, and made a very 
abrupt vol plane. 

Apart from this, the accident remained more 
or less of a mystery. But one point is clear. The 
catastrophe can be put down as one of those 
caused, not by a mistake on the part of the pilot, 
but by the giving way of some portion of the 
planes, or mechanism of a machine. 

The next tragedy of the air with which I have 
to deal is probably the saddest of all, because it 
robbed England of one of the first and most cele- 
brated of her pioneers. I refer to the death, at 
the Bournemouth aviation meeting, of the Hon. 
C S. Rolls. 



DEATH ROLL AND ACCIDENTS 171 

Mr. Rolls, although he had piloted a Sommer 
biplane in a few flights, and had actually ordered, 
just before his death a Farman biplane, had done 
all his flying work upon a Wright biplane. 

The first machines that he used were con- 
structed for him by Mr. Horace Short, the aero- 
nautical engineer of the Royal Aero Club. 

But, at Bournemouth, Mr. Rolls was trying a 
Wright biplane of a type built for him in France. 
Fitted to the machine on which he met his death 
was a new single surface tail-plane, which was 
operated in conjunction with the front elevators 
and was fitted with the idea of making the ma- 
chine fly more steadily. 

In the flight which ended fatally Mr. Rolls was 
competing in a prize for the competitor who 
landed nearest to a given spot. After passing 
over the grand stand he was flying against a mod- 
erate breeze, and was descending with a view to 
landing near the mark — a circle outlined in 
whitewash in the aerodrome. 

At the time of the disaster, Mr. Rolls was from 
sixty to eighty feet high. The machine was de- 
scending at a rather sharp angle. It appeared 
to us as though the pilot, realizing that he was 
descending at rather too steep an angle, attempted 
to " straighten up " his machine a little too 
abruptly. 

There was a noise at the rear of the machine. 
A fragment of wood fell away from it. The next 



172 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

instant, to those who were watching, it was seen 
that the tail-plane of the machine had broken 
adrift. Exactly what happened after this is not 
absolutely clear. It is a fact, however, that the 
tail of the machine became entangled with the 
propellers, and that the aircraft made a steep dart 
downwards to the ground. 

It struck the aerodrome very heavily, and was 
badly wrecked. Mr. Rolls, thrown violently from 
his driving seat, sustained such severe injuries 
that he died a moment or so after he had been 
extricated from the machine. It is clear, in con- 
nection with this accident, that it may be classed 
with those which have been caused by the giving 
way of some portion of an aeroplane while in 
flight. 

Daniel Kinet, the pilot who comes next in the 
roll of those who have sacrificed their lives in the 
cause of aviation, was the pilot of a Earman 
biplane. On the day of his death, July 13, 1910, 
he was on a cross-country flight from Ghent to 
Leige. 

The weather conditions were not unfavorable. 
The airman had completed a portion of his jour- 
ney without incident. Suddenly, however, his 
propeller was seen to cease to revolve. This in- 
dicated, of course, that his engine had failed him. 
The machine after the stoppage of the motor, 
came down to earth. Kinet landed safely in a 
field, but ran into a tree. The aeroplane was 
overturned, and Kinet fatally injured. 



DEATH ROLL AND ACCIDENTS 173 

In the month following Daniel Kinet's death, 
Nicholas Kinet, flying a similar type of machine 
— a Farman biplane — came to grief at Stockel 
in a very startling way. He was flying in a 
high wind. Suddenly his machine gave a lurch 
in the air. Then it slipped sideways, and came 
crashing to the ground. Kinet was killed by the 
fall. Undoubtedly his death was due to flying 
in too high a wind. 

A young Cavalry officer of the Italian Army, 
Lieut. V. Pasqua, was the next pilot to meet his 
death while flying. Lieutenant Pasqua had 
learned to fly a Farman biplane. On Aug. 20, 
19 10, he ascended from the Centocelle aerodrome, 
near Rome, for a cross-country flight. 

Accompanying him, on another biplane, was a 
fellow-officer, Lieutenant Savoia. The latter's 
petrol supply ran out after a short time, and he 
made a safe descent. Lieutenant Pasqua flew 
on for some time longer. Then, when he was 
about 300 feet high, his engine stopped. Prob- 
ably, in his case also, his petrol supply may have 
become exhausted. 

In this case, from what I have been told, it 
would seem that the cause of the airman's death 
was his failure to make a glide after the stoppage 
of his engine. 

The performance of a vol plane is, as I describe 
elsewhere, by no means easy. A good deal of 
practice is required before one can point one's 



174 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

machine downwards and glide safely to the 
ground after engine stoppage, or after volun- 
tarily cutting off one's power. Lieutenant Pas- 
qua appears to have practically stood still in the 
air after his engine failed him. Then the ma- 
chine fell awkwardly to the ground and he was 
killed. 

Regarding the death of Clement van Maas- 
dyck, a twenty-five-year-old airman, who was 
killed while flying near Arnheim, very little sat- 
isfactory evidence is forthcoming. Wan Maas- 
dyck was piloting a Sommer biplane. I [e had at- 
tained a height oi about 150 feet. Suddenly, in 
the words of an onlooker, " his machine stopped 
and fell like a stone." There seems little doubt 
but that the airman ik banked " over his machine 
too sharply, in making a turn, and that it " side- 
slipped to the ground. A noteworthy feature of 
this accident was that the engine of the machine, 
thrown from its position, struck the unfortunate 
airman, and was the cause of his death. A 
similar thing happened, it will be remembered} 
in the case of Captain Ferber. 

M. Edouard Poillet, killed at Chartres on Sept. 
25, 1910, had been a sporting journalist before 
he became the pilot of a Savory biplane. On the 
day that he met with disaster M. Poillet had been 
making a number of flights with passengers. 
On the journey which ended in a fatal accident 
he was carrying with him a pupil by the name 
of Bartiot. 



DEATH ROLL AND ACCIDENTS 175 

The machine was seen to tilt over sharply to 
one side, and the pilot was not apparently able 
to gain control of it again — seeing that he was 
flying low — before it struck the ground with a 
crash. The unfortunate pilot had his spine 
broken. His passenger, however, escaped with 
nothing more serious than a few bruises. 

Naturally, in a case like this, where a pas- 
senger escaped uninjured from an accident, he 
was asked to give his version of how the catas- 
trophe occurred. M. Bartiot declared his belief 
that the aeroplane had been struck by a sudden 
gust of wind, which the pilot had been unable to 
overcome. 

World-wide regret was expressed when the 
death was announced of Chavez, the Peruvian 
airman, who, after piloting a Bleriot monoplane 
in all sorts of contests with the greatest distinc- 
tion, met his death in an attempt to fly over the 
Alps. The great part of his wonderful, and per- 
ilous, undertaking had been achieved when he 
came planing down at Domodossola. To every- 
body's astonishment, instead of steadying his 
machine, and making it land on an even keel, the 
pilot apparently allowed his craft to strike the 
ground at a steep angle. 

In the fall, Chavez sustained serious injuries, 
including the breaking of his legs. A few days 
afterwards, when he appeared to be recovering, 
he died suddenly from the shock of his injuries. 



176 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

Of explanations of this disaster there have been 
many. Some people declare that one of the wings 
of the monoplane collapsed. Others aver that 
the pilot was caught by a gust of wind just at the 
moment that he was preparing to make a landing. 

A person well acquainted with aviation, who 
was present when Chavez fell, has told me his 
version of the accident. He believes that the 
airman became numbed with the cold in his 
descent from an altitude of seven thousand feet. 
He thinks that Chavez had lost the use of his 
hands, and was not able to make the necessary 
movement to " straighten up his monoplane" 
just before contact with the ground. 

Personally, thinking this theory better than 
any other, 1 am inclined to accept it. That pilots 
should suffer from intense cold when descending 
from a great height is not unlikely. I remember 
that, at Lanark, after making a world's record of 
six thousand odd feet, Mr. Drexel felt the cold 
so badly while he was coming down that one hand 
became numbed and the other almost useless be- 
fore he was able to make a landing. 

Had Chavez been so numbed with the cold this 
would have accounted for his failing to bring 
his machine level before touching the ground. 
He might even have suffered from some sort of 
an attack of faintness after his swift rush over 
the Alps at such a great height. But this is one 
of the cases in which one can never be sure ex- 
actly what did happen. 



DEATH ROLL AND ACCIDENTS 177 

From the death of Chavez we turn to that 
of Herr Ernst Plochmann, which occurred at 
Hausheim on Sept. 28, 1910, while piloting an 
Aviatik Biplane. This machine is not anything 
remarkable in the way of an aeroplane, but 
merely represents the German title that is given 
to a machine of the Farman type. 

Herr Plochmann's accident is completely en- 
shrouded in mystery. Nobody, not even those 
who saw the fall, knew exactly what happened. 
At the time of the disaster he was flying about 
one hundred and fifty feet high. Suddenly, 
without any warning, the machine was seen to 
fall, and the airman was killed. The biplane 
was so completely wrecked that it was not pos- 
sible to deduce anything from it to account for 
the airman's sudden loss of control. This ac- 
cident can, indeed, only be regarded as a 
mystery. 

Regarding the death of Herr Haas, another 
German airman, who met with a fatal accident 
on Oct. 1, 19 10, a more definite story is to be 
told. Herr Haas was a flyer on the Wright 
machine, and a man who had attained great 
skill in handling this type of aircraft. On the 
day that he met with the disaster, he was es- 
saying a cross-country flight. At a height of 
five hundred feet, his propellers were seen to 
stop. It was discovered, afterwards, that one of 



178 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

the chains actuating his propellers had broken. 
Instead of making a vol plane, he seemed to lose 
control of the machine, and fell. The aeroplane 
was utterly wrecked, and every bone in the un- 
fortunate pilot's body was broken. This acci- 
dent must, I think, be attributed to engine 
trouble — although the pilot ought to have been 
able, had something quite unexpected not have 
happened, to plane safely to earth. 

Captain Matsievich, a Russian airman who 
had learned to fly a Farman biplane, comes next 
in the list of victims of the air. Captain Mat- 
sievich was flying at St. Petersburg on Oct. 7, 
1910, when he came to grief. Expert testimony 
gives it that some wire stays between the main- 
planes and the tail of his machine gave way. 

The broken wires appear to have become en- 
tangled with the propeller of the machine. At 
the time, the airman was at a height which was 
estimated to he at least 1,500 feet. After the 
breaking of the propeller, caused by contact 
with the wires, he apparently lost all control of 
his machine, and came to earth with fearful 
force. The airman sustained fatal injuries. 
This disaster must be attributed, without doubt, 
to the breakage of a portion of the machine. 

A French military airman, who was making 
his first flight alone, Captain Madiot, was killed 
at Douai on Oct. 23, 1910. His accident was 
a very confusing one. The captain was making 



DEATH ROLL AXD ACCIDENTS 179 

a turn over the aerodrome at a height of about 
three hundred feet when eye-witnesses declare 
that they saw the machine collapse. 

Other people, however, state that in their 
opinion the pilot made a turn at too steep an 
angle, and that his machine slid down through 
the air. Others, again, affirm that the captain 
was taken suddenly ill, while flying, and thus 
lost control of his aeroplane. Whatever may 
have been the cause, the fact remains that the 
machine came to earth so heavily that the pilot 
lost his life. 

It is interesting to record that an examina- 
tion was made afterwards of the machine. 
Every controlling wire was found to be intact. 
Therefore, the accident could not have been due 
to the breaking of any one of his control wires. 
A portion of the machine may, of course, have 
collapsed in flight, or he may have made a false 
move. 

Personally I think, in a case like this, the 
cause of an accident should be written down as 
being unknown. It is not fair to blame either 
the man or the machine when the evidence upon 
which one does so is so confusing. 

Another military airman, Lieutenant Mente, 
an officer of the Prussian Army, was the next 
victim of the air. He was killed at Madgeburg 
on Oct. 25, 19 10. Here, again, save for the 
melancholy fact that pilot's neck was broken, 



180 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

there is no testimony as to the manner in which 
he met his death. 

He was at an altitude of over two hundred 
feet when the machine apparently turned over, 
and fell sheer to the ground. This must be 
written off as an accident with an unknown 
cause — although, no doubt, those who wish to 
emphasize the need for stronger construction in 
aeroplanes will say that it was probably due to 
the breaking of some vital part of his machine. 

M. Fernand Blanchard, a monoplane pilot, met 
his death on the following day — Oct. 26, kjio 
— by a fall from a height of only a ioo feet 
while flying at [ssy-les-Moulineaux, close to 
Paris. M. Blanchard was making a descent, when 
it appeared that something went wrong with his 
machine. It is probable, from the testimony of 
those who were present, that a control wire gave 
way. At any rate, the monoplane he was flying 
gave a lurch sideways and crashed awkwardly 
to the ground, the pilot being dreadfully injured. 
In this case, I think, one can write down the 
cause of the accident as being due to a failure 
of a portion of the pilot's machine. 

In all these accidents, there is an element of 
doubt. Unless actual proof can be obtained 
from an examination of an aeroplane after a 
catastrophe, the only means of estimating what 
happens is from the explanation of those who 
saw the machine just before it fell. 



DEATH ROLL AXD ACCIDENTS 181 

Lieutenant Saglietti, an Italian military pilot, 
was the next flyer who came fatally to grief. 
He was experimenting at Centecelle on Oct. 27, 
191 o, with a Sommer biplane. He had done a 
number of good flights, and was circling well 
above the aerodrome, when his machine was 
seen to pitch forward and come to the ground. 
There is little doubt, from the words of those 
who saw the accident, that the control wires 
leading to the elevating plane of the machine 
broke, or failed to act in some way. One or 
two people describe how they saw the airman 
working at his lever as though striving to make 
it act properly. The officer's fall was so serious 
that he died almost at once. Quite clearly, I 
think, this accident may be attributed to a failure 
on the part of the machine, and not on the part 
of the man. 

Mr. Ralph Johnstone, an American airman of 
much experience, and of the very greatest skill, 
is next in the death roll. From being an ex- 
pert trick cyclist on the music-hall stage, Mr. 
Johnstone took up aviation with enthusiasm, and 
soon became an astonishingly clever pilot of the 
Wright biplane. His skill became so great, after 
a time, that he attempted many surprising feats 
while in the air. His death took place at Den- 
ver, Colorado, where he w r as giving a demon- 
stration. While performing a startling spiral 
glide to the earth, a specialty which the pilot 



1 82 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

had made his own, it was apparent to those ob- 
serving him that some portion of his machine 
had collapsed. Although he appeared to be 
striving to regain control of his machine, he 
failed to do so, and lost his life in a fall which 
completely wrecked the aeroplane. Although 
this accident must be placed in the list of tli 
caused by the breaking of some portion of a 
machine, it is only fair to the aeroplane to add 
that it appears clear that the pilot was subject- 
big it to an undue strain at the time it 
collapsed. 

A double fatality next shocked the world of 
aviation. A pilot, and the unfortunate passenger 
he was carrying, were both killed at Centocelle. 
The victims were named Cammarota and Cas- 
tellani, both military engineers. They were liv- 
ing on a Farman biplane. Except that the ma- 
chine fell from a considerable altitude little defi- 
nite information is to hand. 

It seems fairly clear, however, that the pilot 
was making his machine turn at the time of the 
disaster. He was seen to be making this evo- 
lution sharply. . Suddenly the machine fell. It 
is thought that some part of it collapsed. 

An irreparable loss to British airmanship was 
involved in the next disaster, — that by which 
Mr. Cecil Grace, one of the most prominent 
pilots in England, lost his life on Dec. 22, 1910. 
Mr. Grace was flying back from Calais to Dover 



DEATH ROLL AND ACCIDENTS 183 

in the afternoon, after having made a crossing 
of the Channel to France earlier in the day. 
He had meant to keep on into France in an 
attempt to win the De Forest £4,000 prize, but 
an adverse wind caused him to descend, with 
the idea of regaining his starting-point, and so 
being able to make a fresh attempt the next 
day. When he left the French coast, to fly to 
Dover, there was no mist. 

In fact, the sun was shining. But somewhere 
— probably about half way across channel — 
Mr. Grace ran into a thick sea mist. He may 
have been steering by compass, or he may not. 
This will never be known. What he did, how- 
ever, without doubt, was to turn north instead 
of northwest after entering the fog. 

Beyond a momentary glimpse of him, which 
was obtained by the men of the East Goodwin 
lightship, he disappeared completely. It seems 
to those who have studied the sad problem, that 
he must have gone right out into the North Sea 
and flown about in bewilderment until his en- 
gine failed him and his machine fell into the 
water. Afterwards, without doubt, poor Mr. 
Grace must have been drowned. 

This accident cannot very well be put under 
any ordinary classification as to its cause. 

Starting in clear weather, and running into 
fog, the airman was the victim of misfortune. 
That it was an error on his part to lose his 



1 84 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

way in the fog cannot be said. Therefore, for 
the sake of placing it under some heading, I 
shall set this disaster as being from an un- 
known cause. 

Signor Picolli, an Italian airman who was 
flying on a monoplane at San Paulo, on Dec. 28, 
1910, was the next pilot to lose his life. It 
is clear, from the reports that came to hand, 
that the flyer was tempted out in too high a 
wind. While quite near the ground his mono- 
plane was caught in a gtlSt and turned over. 
This accident is to be attributed to flying in too 
high a wind. 

The famous ground at ] ss v-les-Moulineaux 
was the scene of the next aerial disaster, in 
which an Antoinette monoplane, and two men, 
were concerned. With the idea of starting on 
a long cross-country flight M. Laffont, one of 
the chief of the pilots of the Antoinette school, 
and the Marquis di Pola, were making a pre- 
liminary trial. The wind was rather high, but 
not unusually so for an Antoinette. 

When about 500 feet high the machine ap- 
peared to rock very violently, as though struck 
by a sudden gust. Then, so far as could be 
seen, one of the wing's gave way. The machine 
came rushing to the ground, and both its occu- 
pants were killed. Here, it is quite certain, the 
accident was caused by the breaking of the 
machine. 



DEATH ROLL AND ACCIDENTS 185 

Lieutenant Caumont, a French Army pilot 
who was practicing with a Nieuport monoplane 
on Dec. 30, 1910, was killed at St. Cyr. In this 
case, there is a conflict of opinion. Some people 
say that the pilot had trouble with the rudder 
of his machine, and lost control of his craft 
when nearing the ground. Others attribute the 
accident to an error of judgment purely. 

Although he did not fall from any great 
height, the pilot was so dreadfully injured that 
■he died in hospital almost immediately after the 
accident. In order that I may do neither the 
pilot nor the machine an injustice, I shall place 
this accident as being one due to unknown 
causes. 

Mr. John B. Moisant, an American airman, 
with whom I was flying at the Belmont Park 
aviation meeting, was killed on Dec. 31, 19 10, 
as was also Mr. Archie Hoxsey, another very 
well-known American pilot. The last week in 
December was, indeed, an extraordinarily black 
one so far as aviation was concerned. 

Mr. Moisant had been, from the first, a man 
who believed in flying in winds. Some of his 
ascents in America were carried out under con- 
ditions that rendered them very perilous. 

On the day of his death he was flying at New 
Orleans on a Bleriot monoplane. The wind, 
from what I can hear, was bad. While making 
a turn, the aeroplane was seen to swerve side- 



1 86 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

ways and fall. There is little doubt, I think, 
but that Moisant's death was due to flving in 
a wind that was too high. 

Hoxsey, a world-famed high flyer, who was 
killed at Los Angeles, was piloting a Wright 
biplane. He was three hundred feet high, and 
making a descent, when a gust of wind seemed 
to get under one side of the machine and turn it 
over. Mr. Hubert Latham, who was present at 
the time, and saw Hoxsey's fall, attributed it to 
the airman having come into a " air hole " while 
descending. By this he meant that the machine 
had, in passing from one wind gust into another, 
met a sort of gap in which the pressure under 
the planes was temporarily reduced. As to the 
cause of the accident, although I think the pilot 
may have brought about disaster by straining 
his machine, it must still, I think, be put down 
as one of those occasioned by the breakage of 
part of the aeroplane. 

M. Rusjan was killed at Belgrade on Jan. 
191 1. The type of machine he was flying was 
a monoplane. The case of the accident was 
clear. His propeller, without doubt, burst in 
mid-air, and the pilot either lost control of his 
machine afterwards, or the propeller, in com- 
ing off, must have damaged some part of the 
machine. 

At any rate, the result was disastrous. The 
aeroplane fell to the earth from a good height, 



DEATH ROLL AXD ACCIDENTS 187 

and was wrecked, the pilot being killed. The 
accident must be attributed to what I have clas- 
sified as " breakage of machine." 

Lieut. Stein, who was killed on Feb. 6, 191 1, 
lost control of his biplane when descending 
from a flight. 

Noel, who, with his passenger M. Le Torre, 
was killed on Febuary 9, was making too steep 
a vol plane, with the result that his machine 
struck the ground with great force. 

The last victim, Signor Cei, was flying 2,000 
feet high, over a suburb of Paris, when his 
biplane was seen to fall. The cause of the ac- 
cident is unknown. 



CHAPTER XII 

THE SAFETY OF FLYING 

In the thirty-five accidents with power-driven 
aeroplanes, which have caused the fatalities I 
have described in the previous chapters, it is 
very instructive to endeavor to find out exactly 
what the principal causes of these disasters 
were. In the chapter of my hook which fol- 
lows I shall deal with this phase of the subject 
It is an unusually important one, seeing that 
makers of aeroplanes can profit by the lessons 
taug-ht by each of these catastrophes. As a 
matter of fact, this is precisely what they are 
doing". 

Conspicuous, as a cause of accident, is what 
one may call the structural weakness of a ma- 
chine. Of the accidents I have dealt with, a 
surprisingly large number can he attributed to 
the breakage of some part of a machine while 
in flight. It should be stated, however, that in 
more than one case the collapse of some por- 
tion of his apparatus has been very largely due 
to a pilot's daring, in placing too great a strain 
upon it while performing a steep dive, or while 



THE SAFETY OF FLYING 189 

making some abrupt turning movement. As, 
however, it may be said that an aeroplane 
should be strong enough to bear any sudden 
strain imposed upon it, I have classified these 
accidents under the general heading. 

It will be seen, therefore, how extraordinarily 
important it is for a greater strength in con- 
struction to be adopted. A hopeful point, in this 
connection, is that, recently, accidents directly 
due to a failure of any part of the machine have 
occurred less frequently. 

Strength in construction has, as a matter of 
fact, become one of the builder's principal aims. 
With a great deal of experience now behind him, 
he sees, more clearly than he did at first, just 
where it is necessary to add strength to his craft. 
The aeroplanes which we are now provided with 
are far more workmanlike jobs than were those 
built in the beginning of the movement. 

That greater strength in construction will be 
adopted in the future goes almost without say- 
ing. What this will mean in increasing the 
safety of flying can be gathered from the fact 
— as quoted before — that fourteen out of 
thirty-two fatal accidents hav§ been due to the 
breakage of some portion of the machines. 

Another fruitful cause of disaster, which will 
be lessened in the future, comes under the head- 
ing of " engine trouble." In the catastrophes' 
which have been dealt with, I find that several 



iQO THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

come under the classification of the stoppage of 
a man's engine while in flight. 

This means, in most of the cases, that a pilot 
was suddenly robbed of his motive power, and 
was unable to make a satisfactory glide to the 
ground. As I have emphasized before, and may 
emphasize again, the stoppage of an engine in 
mid-air does not, as a rule, spell disaster when 
the pilot is skilled. I have myself been con- 
fronted with this difficulty on more than one 
occasion, and have been able to make a safe vol 
picnic. But, if the pilot is flying in a high wind, 
and his engine fails him, then his danger is great. 
And there is a great element of danger^ also, in 
the giving out of one's power when passing over 
country which does not provide a good landing- 
place. 

Therefore, it is clear that one of the essentials 
for development in the future is to make aero- 
plane engines more reliable. How well work is 
progressing along this line may be seen when it 
is remembered that flights of four and five hours, 
without descending, are now matters of every- 
day occurrence. 

Already, though we have not gone far in an 
investigation of the causes of aeroplane accidents, 
it is possible to see how greater safety is to be 
obtained. If the structure of aeroplanes can be 
made more substantial, and if the danger of the 
stoppage of an engine can be obviated, we can 



THE SAFETY OF FLYING 191 

see how nineteen out of the thirty-two accidents 
chronicled in the previous chapters might have 
been averted. 

That engine troubles will be entirely elimi- 
nated is too much to hope for. What engine 
makers have in their minds is to improve the 
aeroplane motor so that it runs as reliably as 
does the engine in a modern motor-car. If this 
can be done, a very great and important stride 
will have been effected. It is a fact that already 
one or two makers of aeroplane engines are ap- 
proaching very nearly to this ideal. 

A disquieting feature of the accidents to aero- 
planes which have caused the pilot's death is that 
an appreciable percentage of them must be said 
to be mysteries. This does not mean that theo- 
ries were not advanced to account for them. 
Many were, in fact. 

But, after going very carefully through the 
evidence forthcoming, I have not thought it safe 
to make any definite decision as to what was the 
cause of the disaster. Of these six accidents, 
which are classed as being from " causes un- 
known/' one may be permitted perhaps to make 
a further reference. 

In regard to Chavez, killed after his great Alps 
flight, all one can say is that he probably came 
to grief owing to being numbed by the cold. 
Regarding the death of Herr Plochmann, killed 
at Hausheim, there is absolutely no material 



192 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

forthcoming. Captain Madiot's death at Douai 
cannot satisfactorily be explained. Mr. Cecil 
Grace's death will always remain a mystery, I 
think. We know, of course, that he flew into 
a fog, but what exactly happened to him after 
that no one can say. The sixth mystery, which 
concerns Lieutenant Cattmont, is equally per- 
plexing. I lis rudder may, as some say, have 
failed him, or he may — as I was told by some 
one — have been trying ton powerful an engine 
in his monoplane. 

Many people imagine that a large number 6& 
accidents to aeroplanes are caused by the pilot 
endeavoring to fly in too high a wind. But my 
analysis <>f the fataliites we have been discuss 
ing does not prove such to be the ca^e. As a 
matter of fact, very few of the disasters are 
attributable to a machine being turned over while 
flying, owing to the onslaught of a dangerous 
wind gust. To be precise, one can only put 
down the deaths of Robl, Poillet, Picollo, and 
Moisant as being due to flights conducted in 
winds Which were too high. 

This, it must be granted, says a great deal for 
the stability of aeroplanes, and is, in fact, a most 
hopeful sign for the future. A great many Rights 
have, without doubt, been conducted in winds 
which were of considerable strength. And yel 
despite the attacks of wind gusts, the pilots haw 
been able to fly safely. If this can be done with 



THE SAFETY OF FLYIXG 193 

such machines as we have to-day, what will be 
possible with the stronger, faster flying craft 
ch we shall possess before very long? 

In the beginning, one may note, no flights were 

attempted save in dead calms. Gradually, with 

an increasing skill, pilots began to venture into 

air when w T incls from five to ten miles an 

t were blowing. After this, with an acces- 
; i 1 speed, flights were attempted in even 

hi, ;her winds. The result is that, to-day, we have 

itig carried out in winds blowing at a velocity 
of from twenty to twenty-five miles an hour. 

hat it is now the intention to produce, if pos- 

le, is an aeroplane capable of weathering a 
wind of from 35 to 40 miles an hour. 

small proportion of aeroplane acci- 
( 1 ; due to a pilot's mistake. This is, 

without doubt, a very hopeful sign. If machines 
be flown, at the present day, with so much 
certainty on the part of the man at the control- 
lever, it says a very great deal for the gen- 
eral safety of flight. 

It disproves, for one thing, the contention ad- 
vance 1 in the early days of flying that a man 

-t, in erder to fly, become a sort of aerial 
acre/: it I have heard this argument advanced 
on many occasions. It was held that only men 
1 certain agility would be able to learn to fly. 
And yet what is the case? On one estimate, as 
I have said, there are now, in the world, close 



194 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

upon 3,000 men who have acquired the knack of 
piloting a power-driven machine. 

The majority of these men have learnt to fly 
with astonishing rapidity. In some cases, only 
a few hours' actual practice has been sufficient 
for a man to acquire mastery oyer his machine. 

Therefore, it must be taken for -ranted, from 
the evidence of facts, thai there i^> no special dif- 
ficulty about learning to fly, 

. In this connection, also, it must 1>e remembered 
that, in the present type ©f aeroplane, the pilot 
is expected bO do a good deal more in the way 
of personal control than will he demanded of the 
man who controls one of the perfected machines 
of the future: 

In a final remark on this subject, one may take 
it for granted that the prospect is hopeful. Al- 
though these thirty-two fatalities to which I have 
referred are greatly to he regretted, their num- 
ber is not excessive considering the large amount 
of flying that has keen done. 

As has been seen from my summary of the 
causes of these disasters, it is possible to show- 
how many of them may be averted, in the fu- 
ture, by greater strength of construction, and by 
increased reliability on the part of aeroplane 
engines. 

One of the greatest considerations, as regards 
the future of flying, is that of speed. From the 
very first, airmen have seen that there is only 



THE SAFETY OF FLVIXG 195 

one way by which the violence of winds may be 
combated — and that is by speed. 

Unfortunately, however, there are a great 
many considerations which have to be weighed 
before a high-speed aeroplane is constructed. 
One of the chief of them is the strength of the 
machine. By those Who first talked of speeds 
of one hundred and one hundred and fifty miles 
an hour the question of how the planes of a ma- 
chine would stand the pressure upon them was 
scarcely taken into consideration. 

Many of the accidents which have marred the 
progress of flying have, without doubt, been due 
to a pilot subjecting his machine, when in the 
air, to a strain which it was not strong enough 
to stand. It is clear, in fact, that, before very 
high speeds are attained, the construction of 
aeroplanes will have to be greatly altered. At 
present wood, wire, and canvas are the construc- 
tional features of the aeroplane. 

At speeds of forty, fifty, and sixty miles an 
hour the planes can be built sufficiently strong 
to stand the strain, but when eighty and one 
hundred miles an hour enter into the question 
it seems improbable that we shall get a plane 
made in this way that will stand the pressure 
put upon it. This pressure, of course, increases 
enormously when a speed, say of sixty miles an 
hour, is passed. 

Metal, naturally, occurs to one as being the 



196 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

next material to be employed, and, without doubt, 
metal construction will enter into the aeroplane 
of the future; but, at the present time, metal 
for constructive purposes offers many disadvan- 
tages. Primarily, its weight renders its use al- 
most prohibitive. With a certain engine power, 
with a certain weight* ajid with a certain sur- 
face, manufacturers know what they can do; 
but the all-metal aeroplane Opens up quite new 
possibilities, When engine power is very greatly 
increased, as it may be before long, there is 
little doubt but that greate* speeds will be at- 
tained, and far more heavy forms of construc- 
tion adopted. 

The present-type aeroplanes, with their w 
of wood and fabric supported by wire, have a 
great deal of elasticity when they land on tl e 
ground after a flight. The \yings " giye "to the 
shock, and the whole machine takes the strain 
equally, but with the few attempts that have 
already been made to employ metal for w 
surfaces it has been found that the lack of elas- 
ticity in this method of construction is a I 
feature. Instead of giving to the shock of land- 
ing, the metal wings have been " kinked " and 
in some cases broken. 

The problems which are looming up to be dealt 
with in the future are, indeed, very difficult. 
Speed must be attained if the conquest of the 
air is to be fully achieved. Engines have be- 



THE SAFETY OF FLY/ING 197 

come so reliable, in a sense, that the next de- 
velopment of flying must be to increase the pqwer 
of a pilot to steer his craft in high winds. 

To the general public, particularly, this ina- 
bility of the aeroplane to be anything save a fine 
weather craft is a great point against it. The 
progress that has been made during the last year 
in the matter of increasing the reliability of 
engines and in perfecting many details of the 
aeroplanes has been to a great extent lost sight 
of. What has struck the ordinary observer is 
the fact that when a hig^h wind is blowing' the 
airmen are chained to their sheds. 

In such a contest, for example, as that of the 
De Forest cross-channel flight, for which at- 
tempts were being made last December from 
Dover on the English coast, the outstanding fact 
in the public mind was that weeks went by be- 
fore one of the competitors could dare to cross 
the sea. And, certainly, flying will not be uni- 
versally adopted by Governments unless the ma- 
chines have a greater ability to make flights when 
the wind is blowing strongly. 

A great deal of progress has of course been 
made in this direction. One has only to turn 
back one's thoughts to the early days of the 
heavier-than-air machine. When the Wright 
brothers were first flying, and when Henry Far- 
man had achieved his first flights with his Voisin 
biplane, it was considered madness to attempt to 
fly unless there was a dead calm prevailing. 



198 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

It was Hubert Latham, with his Antoinette 
monoplane, who first showed that wind-flying 
was a possibility. Aided by the size of his ma- 
chine, the dihedral angle of its wings, and its 
weight — and also, of course, by his own skill 
— Latham made several ascents in winds which 
were then reckoned to be dangerously high. 

As man's confidence in flying grew, he dared 
higher winds, not because the machine he pos- 
sessed was any better fitted to conquer them, but 
because he found that it was possible by skillful 
movements to fight against sudden gusts. Thus, 
by degrees, we found pilots flying in winds of 
fifteen miles an hour, and making quite good 
weather of them too. 

Then, to help airmen in their fight against the 
wind, came the introduction of the monoplane 
with the Gnome motor. With this combination 
of a light, fast machine and powerful motor, 
speeds of fifty and fifty-five miles an hour were 
easily attained. With such machines, having 
a greater speed than the biplane, it was found 
possible to fly quite safely in a wind of twenty 
miles an hour. Particularly daring pilots even 
ventured aloft in twenty-five and thirty mile an 
hour winds. 

Practically speaking, our present stage of de- 
velopment amounts to this. With a monoplane 
one may fly in a wind of twenty or twenty-five 
miles an hour. • With a biplane one's limit is per- 



THE SAFETY OF FLYING 199 

haps twenty miles an hour. This is merely sug- 
gested as a general rule. Under exceptional cir- 
cumstances and with exceptional men, higher 
winds may be braved. 

Even in connection with winds of this strength, 
there may be a moment of danger when the pilot 
seeks to return to the ground. As he approaches 
the landing-spot and nears the ground, he may 
be caught by a dangerous eddy and compelled 
to effect a bad descent. A good many times, in 
fact, a pilot has started away to fly in a high 
wind, and has been able to keep in the air quite 
.well during his flight, but has been wrecked on 
landing at the end of it. 

In fact, to make an aeroplane a thoroughly 
reliable wind-flying machine, a great many im- 
provements are necessary. So far as the exist- 
ing machines are concerned, we have certainly 
reached the limit. Our engines are sufficiently 
reliable for a 6, 7, or 8 hours' flight. The planes 
themselves have been made, by the experience 
of their manufacturers, very much more efflcienl 
than they used to be. The controlling mechanisir 
of the machines has been so carefully thoughl 
out that it represents not exactly perfection, bui 
a. very great improvement. 

As regards the landing devices, in which com 
binations of wheels and skids are usually em- 
ployed, here again the greatest progress is evident 
Flights across country are of almost daily oc 



200 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

currence. High flying has been improved to an 
izing extent. The number of airmen grows 
with great rapidity. 

In all things, in fact, save wind-flying, airman- 
ship has made extraordinary pr< Fgress. But when 
and done we come back again to this 
in of combating the wind. No practical 
person will regard flight as an accomplished 

ing unless one can say that i ine will start 

on a certain day, at a certain hour, to go b 

place, and be able to keep one's word. 

No passenger-carrying Service will be possible, 

either, until the aeroplane is able to meet adverse 

weather. Of course one does not imagine that 

tachine will be able to fight against a 

Nobody expects thai — at least not u>v a 

very long time fo come. But what the aeroplane 

rrts to do is to be able to fly in any Mich high 

vind as we have on main- days in the 

year. Such winds do not approach the velocity 

of gales, but they are sufficient, at present, to 

keep an aeroplane to the ground. It is clear that 

the aim of every one who has the interests of 

ing at heart must be to rid the aeroplane oi 

this reproach of being nnahle to fight a wind. 

M. Bleriot, M. Farman, M. Paulhan, and 
nearly all the greatest of the world's thinkers in 
the matter of air craft are now hard at work 
upon this problem of conquering the wind. M. 
Paulhan has very clear and definite ideas on the 



THE SAFETY OF FLYIXG 201 

subject. His theory is that a machine must be 
made with its plane surfaces capable of being 
altered in size as the machine passes through the 
air. Already with an experimental machine he 
has demonstrated that the mechanical difficulties 
of reducing the surface of a plane without rob- 
bing it of its strength can be overcome. The 
idea of this reduction in surface is simple. If it 
can be brought to perfection, some design will be 
adopted whereby a pilot, by the movement of 
a lever near his seat, will be able to " reef ?? his 
sails like those of a ship. 

When one is moving along the ground prepar- 
atory to a flight it will be necessary, under this 
system, to have the maximum of surface exposed 
to the air. Probably in a biplane it may be ar- 
ranged that the rear edges of the main planes 
will furl up as the pilot wishes to reduce his sur- 
face. As regards the monoplane more than one 
inventor has thought of a method the 

extremities of the wings telescopic, 
can be lengthened or reduced at w 
this system awaits definite 
sibilities to commend it. 

The difficulty widi any system :g a 

monoplane's wings with a var :ace is 

that the wires which hold the win^ 11 

fere with any alteration oi its she -: 
of course, in discussing any developments in this 
way one need not assume that- the biplane or mon- 



202 THE STORY OF THE' AEROPLANE 

oplane will be the machine of the future. So far, 
development has worked along certain lines. But 
the machines we have to-day may not be the 
machines of to-morrow. Personally I think we 
have reached almost a limit as regards present 
types of construction. Something new is decid- 
edly wanted. 

No doubt, seeing that the demand has been 
created, it will come. If a machine with variable 
surfaces can be devised, and even if such a ma- 
chine differs little in construction from our pres- 
ent ones, a distinct step forward will have been 
made. The idea governing the system of varying 
the plane stir faces is a very sound one. When 
the first demand came for a high speed machine, 
the hasty opinion was formed that it was only 
necessary to increase the engine power and se 
get the desired result. But although an increase 
of speed was made by such a straightforward 
plan, difficulties soon arose. For instance, let us 
take the monoplane to which an engine of ioo 
horse-power was fitted — just doubling the 
power that had driven it before. With this ma- 
chine it was possible to fly, under favorable con- 
ditions, at a speed in excess of 70 miles an hour. 

This sounded, on the face of it, a very distinct 
step forward. But although the machine flew 
very well, it had to land at such a high speed that 
its use was practically confined to aerodromes, 
where a perfectly smooth surface could be relied 



THE SAFETY OF FLYING 203 

upon for returning after a flight. Thus, although 
when in the air this machine-fulfilled the need for 
greater speed, its practicability was marred by 
the fact that it could not be used, reasonably, as 
a regular cross-country machine. Had one done 
so, and had a landing been attempted on anything 
like rough ground, the under carriage of the 
machine would not have stood the shock imposed 
upon it. 

Thus it was seen that there was more in the 
question of increasing speed than had been at 
first imagined. This fact was quickly realized 
— the successful high speed machine must leave 
the earth at a moderate pace and only attain its 
maximum when well away from the ground, 
being provided also with a capacity to effect its 
landing on a rough surface if necessary by 
greatly reducing the rate of its descent. 

The ideal, I suppose, would be a'machine which 
would soar into the air with a large plane surface 
at a speed of some 20 or 25 miles an hour, and 
then quicken its rate to a maximum of anything 
from 100 to 150 miles an hour, while retaining 
its capacity, by increasing its surface, of descend- 
ing safely at about the speed it had started away 
with. 

At the present time, of course, there is a feel- 
ing that one cannot very well complicate ma- 
chines to any extent. To ascend with some com- 
plicated mechanism,, and have it fail you when 



2o 4 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

you wish to put it into operation would be a highly 
dangerous and perhaps fatal thing. Thus prog- 
ress with any variable surface device will, I 
think, only be made by slow and careful stages. 

Testing new ideas with the aeroplane repre- 
sents a good deal more difficulty than ptitting new- 
ideas into application in any other form of ma- 
chine. But, still, this variable surface type of 
aeroplane is one we are all striving for v< 
diligently. If we can get it, a new phase of air- 
manship wiil he opened up. Kxacily what im- 
provement this new type of machine will repre- 
sent il i^> difficult to >ay. FrOfifJ the point of v 
of eotnbatirlg winds it will be invaluable. Al- 
though it may he wild at the moment to talk of 
Speeds a$ high as 150 miles an hour, I think that, 
eventually, we shall see such an ideal realized. 

If one could get a machine flying at such a 
pace with a minimum of surface it is clear that 
it would he practically immune from attack by 
the wind. With a machine which one could take 
out and fly upon when high winds were blowing 
the commercial aspect of aviation would he a 
very much more hopeful thing. 

Personally I have every confidence in the fu- 
ture of flying provided we can go ahead in the 
way I have indicated. From the military point 
of view a very high speed machine capable of 
being used in rough weather as well as in calms 
would be extremely important as a dispatch 



THE SAFETY OF FLYIXG 205 

carrier. From the point of view of recomioiter- 
ing it is doubtful whether high speeds would be 
of use, seeing that unless the machine was flying 
very high it would be difficult to carry out 
serrations at a speed, say, of ico miles an he 
But here again the variable surface would come 
into play. When approaching the enemy, or 
hastening back with news, an aeroplane .could 
develop its maximum speed and still have the 
ability, by exposing more surface to the air, of 
halting, so to speak, when any observing work 
was necessary. 

Apart, also, from its military aspect, I think 
a really practical aeroplane with a variety of 
speeds would make a far more definite appeal to 
the amateur than do any of the machines we at 
present possess. The speed at which he has to 
do everything is a distinct drawback in its way 
to the man who wants to learn to fly. 

To the beginner, the pace at which he tears 
across the ground preparatory to flight, and the 
way the ground whirls away below him when 
he does get into the air, are both baffling and 
puzzling. In landing, too, the novice feels that 
he has only to make the tiniest error to bring 
about a disaster. 

A friend of mine represented to me the other 
day that learning to fly on any machine such as 
one finds in the schools to-day was like trying 
to learn to drive a motor car which had onlv one 



206 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

speed — the top one. The novice; who learns to 
drive a motor car does most of his preliminary 
work at the slowest speed he can. Therefore he 
is able to accustom himself to the various me- 
chanical features of the machine without moving 
along at any speed likely to confuse him or make 
him forget something that he has to do. 

If a man who wants to learn to fly could take 
out an aeroplane and move about slowly with it 
until he has gained some mastery over its details, 
he would feel far more confident than is at pres- 
ent the case. 

Of course the variable speed machine will have 
to be very perfect in its mechanical adjustment 
before it can come into general use. There must 
be no element of chance in it, and no fear that 
any one of the automatic movements are likely to 
go wrong. 

Personally I rather favor the device of tele- 
scoping the ends of the planes of a machine to 
reduce or increase the surface. Upon this idea 
I am at present working, and it seems to me to 
offer a very profitable field for research. With 
a variable surface machine in actual operation 
one could extend the use of the aeroplane in very 
many ways. 

Apart from the demand that there will be 
among governments for any perfected form of 
aeroplane, the first really practical and what one 
might call safe craft will surely be bought by such 



THE SAFETY OF FLYIXG 207 

wealthy people of leisure as. are the.Jgr.eat support 
of the motor car industry. 

Whether such people will buy an aeroplane is 
often questioned, but it is generally argued 4n 
this connection that flying will never present as 
much safety as does touring in a well-appointed 
motor car. At the present time, I admit, this 
does not seem very possible. People are talking 
of the number of men who have been killed while 
flying. It seems as though the science had re- 
ceived some sort of a temporary -setback. 

When -a man thinks how safe it is to motor 
along a good road with a good car, and then con- 
trasts this safety with a flight in a present type 
aeroplane, it seems almost too much to hope that 
flying can be made as safe as motoring. It is 
interesting while upon this subject to ask really 
what are the risks of flying with such craft as are 
at present to hand. In the first place, until the 
wind flyer is produced the great element of dan- 
ger in flying is an ascent under unfavorable con- 
ditions. But if a man is not compelled to fly at 
any given time and can take out ;his machine 
when the conditions are favorable, he can remove 
altogether this risk of the weather. 

On a calm day, for instance, or in a breeze of 
from 8 to 10 miles -an hour, flying is, so far as 
climatic conditions are concerned, perfectly safe. 
When I say perfectly safe, I am omitting refer- 
ence to curious " air holes, "-and unexpected wind 



208 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

eddies, which one is, in theory, expected to 
encounter. 

But when flying over fairly ordinary country 
on a calm day I do not think this risk of falling 
into an air hole or partial vacuum is anything 
for a pilot to worry himself about. Even on 
fairly calm days one does of course sometimes 
come upon an unexpected eddy of wind when one 
is flying rather low or in the vicinity <>f ri- 
g-round. I hit here again, by Hying a od alti- 
tude — say [©00 feet — one can eliminate r 
on this score. Therefore, if one i> £bk fee Stri 
out the risk from the weather, what have we h 

I can imagine a critic of living supplying the 
gap by alluding to structural we; of ma- 

chines which may cause some important pari 
one's machine to break while in flight. In 
earl}' days of flight such breakage 
common, it is true. But such accide 
natural. Manufacturers were groping in the 
dark as to the stresses and strains their c 
would stand. 

It was only by experience that f 
that some part of a machine shou:< 
than another. It may be pointed out to me that 
even recently accidents have occurred throi 
breakage of some part of a machine when in 
air. But on this head I must poiiv 
recent times far more kk liberties/' 1 
the term, have been taken by pilots i 



THE SAFETY OF FLYIXG 209 

In the same way that a man can damage a motor 
car by racing it and putting it to undue stresses, 
so a pilot can weaken an aeroplane by performing 
unwise evolutions with it. To descend swiftly 
and then rise again steeply with a sudden altera- 
tion of direction is a severe strain on a machine. 
How severe it may be can only be gauged by the 
conditions prevailing at the time. 

In such ways as this it is possible to come to 
grief even with such a strongly built and well- 
thought-out aeroplane as we can procure to-day. 
And then of course the element of danger in fly- 
ing from the point of view of the breaking of any 
part of one's machine is greatly minimized if one 
has the common sense to examine one's machine 
carefully before starting for a flight. I myself 
have made it an unbroken rule to go over each 
part of my machine very carefully and very fre- 
quently. Of course one does not, before each 
flight, examine every wire and stay; this can be 
done periodically. 

But what a man should do before he gets into 
the air is to see for himself that the wires operat- 
ing his planes are in thoroughly sound condition. 
More than one life has been lost, without doubt, 
owing to this simple precaution being neglected. 
If one's machine is in good working order, one's 
controlling mechanism is perfect, and the weather 
is suitable, one is beginning to reduce the danger 
of flying very materially. What danger, in fact, 
have we left ? 



210 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

It is the danger of one's engine failing one 
while in the air. For this to prove disastrous is 
■not necessary. Many times during my flying 
experience my engine has stopped, for some 
reason or other. But I have managed invariably 
to plane down, and make a safe landing upon 
some suitable spot that I have seen while in the 
air. 

Of course the ability to make a good landing 
after one's engine has stopped involves a good 
deal of skill and some experience also. It is not 
until a pilot has made several vol planes without 
his engine to assist him that he has any feeling 
of confidence in venturing across country. 

This question of making a swift and certain 
descent when one's engine has failed is a v 
important one; yet I have known some pilots who 
have neglected it. What happens when an en- 
gine stops in mid-air is that the machine, robbed 
of the power that is forcing it forward through 
the air, begins rapidly to lose its speed. I f the 
pilot sat perfectly still after his engine had 
stopped, and made no motion of any kind, he 
would very soon come to a standstill in the air. 

This would be fatal. It is only by its fc 
motion that an aero ; c itrollable. There- 

fore, when it has c to move forward, 

pilot can do nothing more in the of control- 

ling it. 

When a biplane stands still in the air, its ten- 



THE SAFETY OF FLYING 211 

dency is to descend tail first. Thus the pilot is in 
a hopeless position. Once having lost control of 
his machine he cannot regain it, and if he is fly-' 
ing at any height a fatal accident is almost 
inevitable. 

With a monoplane, when the engine stops, the 
pilot who does not hasten to perform a vol plane 
has more chance of safety, because the engine 
of the machine is placed so far forward that its 
tendency is to draw the nose of the machine down 
and thus start it upon a natural glide. But, in 
practice, to lose control of a monoplane in the 
way I have indicated is almost as dangerous as to 
find oneself in a similar position with a biplane. 

What, then, does the pilot do when he finds his 
machine coming to a standstill through the en- 
gine having failed him? He alters the angle of 
his elevating plane as quickly as possible, and 
turns the machine downwards at a fairly steep 
angle. This maneuver has the effect of giving 
the machine the speed that the engine has been 
supplying. It makes a sweep towards the earth 
and, by this accession of speed, is perfectly under 
the control of the man who is steering it. 

So long as he can keep moving forward at a 
good speed the airman is quite safe, although his 
motive power has deserted him. What he does is 
to plane down at a good speed, continually on the 
look-out for anything that looks like a good land- 
ing spot. 



212 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

A good-sized grass field is of course the ideal. 
When he approaches it he slows up his machine 
and lands with as little shock as possible. Of 
course a good deal of skill is necessary before a 
vol plane can be done with safety. It is difficult 
to make any considerable turning movement while 
coming down on such a glide. The danger of so 
doing is, of course, that one should rob the ma- 
chine of its impetus. 

Therefore, supposing an engine stops when 
one is flying iooo feet high, one lias to pick a 
landing spot fairly quickly, and concentrate one's 
whole attention upon reaching it in a safe glide. 
Here the element of risk is represented by the 
nature of the country one is flying over, [f one 
deliberately sets out upon a cross-country flight, 
knowing that between one's point of starting 
and stopping there is no really suitable landing 
spot, then one is embarking upon a very risky 
experiment. 

Of course in this argument 1 am assuming that 
flying is not being done for any set purpose, but 
merely as a pleasure cruise, just in the same way 
that one might take a car out and enjoy a spin. 
On such a motor trip one would not choose the 
most dangerous or difficult roads; and for the 
same reason in flying, when a man is flying only 
for pleasure, he would naturally seek a cross- 
country flight which did not present any very 
great risks should his engine fail him. 



THE SAFETY OF FLYIXG 213 

Therefore we shall assume, in this argument, 
that the pilot is not passing over risky country, 
but over land which presents him with many op- 
portunities for making a landing. In such a case, 
should the engine stop, it will be quite possible to 
make an easy landing, even if the airman is not 
exceptionally skilled. All he has to do is to tip 
his craft down and glide to the point he thinks 
best. 

One may, in fact, argue that flying is safe when 
carried out under favorable conditions. In the 
use of the words " favorable conditions " I mean 
conditions that are favorable in every way. A 
good machine, a good day, and good country, and 
with a pilot who thoroughly understands what he 
is doing. 

The martyrs who have sacrificed their lives in 
the cause of flying have done so very largely 
because they have been so enthusiastic as regards 
the progress of flight. Some of them have been 
impatient of the slow progress that they have 
thought was being made. They have wanted to 
try new methods, to experiment with some sug- 
gestion that has occurred to them. It is undoubt- 
edly true that the man who does seek to carry out 
new ideas regarding flying is running a very 
grave risk. This does not apply, of course, as 
regards the man who experiments with varia- 
tions of some usual type. For instance, the man 
who made a single-seated monoplane and then 



214 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

designed one to carry two passengers was not 
running any very great risk when he tried the 
passenger-carrying machine. His previous ex- 
perience with the single-seated model had shown 
him a great deal that he wanted to know. 

But the man who takes a machine which is of 
some quite revolutionary character and seeks to 
fly in it, is risking a great deal. In mentioning 
this point, the safety of 11} suggested to me 

by the experience of one pilot I know very well. 
lie bought an aeroplane in the very early daws 
of flying. This machine he still owns. With the 
exception of a few minor adjustments and a few 
simple repairs, the machine to-day is almost as 
good a fiver as ever it was. 

•The engine has run with extraordinary relia- 
bility. During all his flying experience, and this 
pilot lias ilown very industriously, he has never 
had any accident of a serious kind. lie has had 
all the enjoyment i)i flying with very few of its 
risks. His precautions have been very simple. 
All he has done is to refrain from risking any- 
thing*. If the weather has not been favorable, 
he has not taken his machine out. He made a 
plan when he first took up flying that he would 
not make anything in the nature of a risky flight, 
and that policy he has adhered to throughout. 

If the wind has been more than, say, 10 miles 
an hour, he has not flown. He has always se- 
lected good flying grounds. He has been very 



THE SAFETY OF FLYIXG 215 

careful to employ only good, careful mechanics. 
Fie has himself examined his machine closely 
before making a flight. The result has been, as 
I have said, a complete immunity from accident. 
This pilot is quite an ordinary type of man. He 
was before flying, and is now, a motorist. His 
interest in flying was the healthy interest of a 
man who was attracted towards what he thought 
was a new and exhilarating sport. 

The consideration of one or two cases like this 
makes the prospect of flying far more hopeful. 
Of course the human element enters very largely 
into such a thing as flying, and it is this human 
factor which has increased so greatly the recent 
death roll. In most things in life, after a time, 
a man becomes a little careless. One always 
hears this said. As regards railway men, as re- 
gards men who are in other and even more dan- 
gerous occupations, one is told that familiarity 
eventually brings some form of contempt. 

Now with flying it is scarcely carelessness so 
much as the endeavor to do something new that 
has brought this trail of accident. It is not 
human, I suppose, to be prepared to make such 
slow x progress in flying as would have ensured 
that progress being safe. It is a fact that, had 
men been willing to go ahead as slowly and as 
pleasurably as has done the man to whom I have 
just referred, the present state could have been 
arrived at with scarcely any loss of life at all. 



216 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

It is a notable fact, and one that is much com- 
mented on, that some of the men who have been 
killed, particularly those abroad, have been ex- 
ceedingly expert flyers, and men, in some cases, 
who have been instructing pupils in their work. 
This, however, is not surprising to me. Given a 
man of a certain temperament, the fact that he 
has become thoroughly accustomed to his machine 
and to being in the air introduces an clement of 
danger. I myself have noticed — and, after all, 
it is quite human — that a man who may have 
become famous for a particularly daring vol 
plane will make his descent steeper and steeper 
as he goes on. The result is that one day he 
meets an unexpected gust of wind, or something 
on his machine may give way through an exces- 
sive strain. 

What happens is that this fatality is reported 
as being another indication of the danger of fly- 
ing. Of course such a conclusion is very unfair 
to the aeroplane and to the sport. It is not 
through the danger of the machine, but through 
the man having attempted too much, that the 
accident is due. 

Keen experimenters in such a new and rapidly 
increasing science as flying are always in danger 
of forgetting their own safety in their ardor to 
make progress. More than one case comes to 
my mind of a man who has met with disaster 
while actually putting to the test some theory that 
he has evolved while flying. 



THE SAFETY OF FLYIXG 217 

In this connection, too, one cannot help com- 
menting upon the question of exhibition flying. 
Here, no doubt, one has a source of danger. 
Later on, when aeroplanes are far more perfect, 
it will be possible to give exhibition flights with 
very little risk. But the danger has arisen from 
the aeroplane being exploited so vigorously be- 
fore it was really a sufficiently safe instrument 
for such a thing to be done. 

Of course there is another aspect to exhibition 
flying, and one which has very largely appealed 
to me. It is this — that unless people see an aero- 
plane in flight, and unless you can awaken inter- 
est in flying, very little useful work will be done. 
For this reason on many occasions I have put 
myself to personal inconvenience to perform 
some exhibition flight. 

In the statement that it is easy to fly some 
qualifications are necessary. Flying is easy, but 
only up to a certain point. On a fine day, flying 
round and round an aerodrome, one cannot im- 
agine anything very much more important than 
the control of an aeroplane. 

But this is flying in its most favorable aspects. 
When conditions are good, and a machine is run- 
ning well, there is nothing so delightful as aero- 
planing. But it is an unfortunate thing that the 
dangers of flying should be hidden. They lurk 
in wait for an unwary beginner. He may take 
out his machine a number of times and perform 
clever evolutions with it. 



218 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

In turning he may " bank " over to a surpris- 
ing angle, and yet feel quite confident that he has 
his machine well in hand. And then something 
happens. What it is he does not quite know. He 
makes the second turn, perhaps, in precisely the 
same way, and all seems to be going well. Sud- 
denly, however, probably because an unexpected 
gust of wind gets under his planes, he finds, to 
his consternation, that the machine will not come 
straight again as it has done before. 

The result, if he is lucky, is nothing more than 
a wrecked aeroplane, and a severe shaking. 
From such an experience an airman emerges 'a 
much wiser man. After this he docs not take 
chances. lie becomes a respecter of these un- 
known dangers instead of defying them. 

Unfortunately, some pilots learn their les 
by meeting with an accident which robs them of 
life. Piloting an aeroplane, in the air, is like 
exploring an unknown sea. You do not know 
from where the next gust is coming. Experi- 
ence, of course, is of very great value in com- 
bating high winds. 

For an aviator to obtain the certificate of pro- 
ficiency from the Aero Club in whatever country 
he happens to be three flights are, at present, 
required. During the course of them, the air- 
man circles round a prepared course, and is called 
upon to land within a hundred and fifty feet of 
a specified point. 



THE SAFETY OF FLYIXG 219 

But it has already been suggested, and the new 
rule will come into force quite soon, that more 
stringent requirements should be complied with 
before a pilot obtains a certificate. The danger 
of allowing an airman to gain any certificate too 
easily is that, after gaining it, he is able to give 
demonstration flights before large numbers of 
people. An inexperienced pilot, ascending per- 
haps in too high a wind to meet the demands of 
the organizers of any flying event, might very 
easily cause a dreadful disaster by descending 
upon the people. 

It is because it is so easy to acquire a superficial 
knowledge of flying that a pretty serious test 
should be imposed before a man is able to de- 
scribe himself as being thoroughly competent. 
While upon this point, it may perhaps be per- 
missible for me to touch again upon some of the 
accidents which have occurred in connection with 
flying. I am afraid that in many of them inex- 
perience has played a very prominent part. 

In more than one case, which has come under 
my personal knowledge, a pilot has ascended to 
a considerable height, almost at his first flight, 
and without any knowledge of the art of making 
a vol plane, or aerial dive, should his engine stop 
while in the air. Of course, such foolhardiness 
only infrequently brings anything in the nature 
of a bitter retribution. When it does, however, 
the cry is that another man has been done to 
death owing to the perils of flying. 



220 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLAXE 

Such a view is, of course, quite wrong. It is 
essential, if a man wants to learn to fly safely, 
that he should not venture to great heights unless 
he is sufficiently skillful to be ready, at any mo- 
ment, to make a vol plane should his power give 
out. 

The making of a vol plane may thus be de- 
scribed. When an aeroplane is flying, its engine, 
through the medium of the propeller, is forcing 
it ahead, and giving the pilot control of it through 
the very speed with which it is passing through 
the aii\ 

Now suppose that the engine begins to fail 
What happens? The aeroplane commences at 
once to lose its speed. If a pilot steered straight 
on, after his engine had ceased to revolve, the 
result would he that the aeroplane would soon 
come to a dead-halt in the air. Then, being 
utterly powerless to control it, the airman would 
find himself falling backward or perhaps side- 
wise towards the earth. 

What has to be clone, when an engine stop-, is 
for the pilot to tilt his machine downward and 
forward as rapidly as he can. The result of this 
maneuver is that the aeroplane, in falling toward 
the ground, is given, by the momentum of its 
descent, sufficient steerage way to counteract the 
loss of power. 

It comes gliding down pretty fast, and at a 
fairly steep angle, until the pilot sees that he is 



THE SAFETY OF FLYIXG 221 

within 40 or 50 feet of the ground. Then he 
" straightens the machine out," as it is called, 
or rather checks its downward descent by a move- 
ment of the elevating planes, and so manages to 
make a safe landing. 

The beginner who flies at a good height, 
without having first acquainted himself with the 
knack of making a vol plane, is running an ex- 
tremely grave risk. The movement by which a 
machine is tilted downwards, after the engine has 
stopped, has to be made very definitely and with- 
out a moment's hesitation. If a person unac- 
customed to such an emergency is suddenly con- 
fronted with the stopping of an engine it is highly 
probable that he may become confused, and fail 
to point the nose of the machine towards the 
ground with sufficient rapidity. 

This question of the vol plane is very impor- 
tant when one comes to consider cross-country 
flying. When making a cross-country flight, 
one may be faced at any time with the difficulties 
attending an unexpected failing of the engine. 

If one is lucky a nice open tract of country may 
lie below. From an altitude of 1,000 or 1,500 
feet, which is the safe height at which to fly 
across country, one must come planing down, 
keenly on the look out for any smooth field in 
which the machine may be brought to rest. 

This requires a great deal of judgment. In 
selecting a landing point one cannot change one's 



222 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

mind at the last minute. The machine, in gliding 
down without engine-power, cannot be checked 
to any very great extent. Were this done it 
would become unmanageable and fall- 
Therefore, if the pilot chooses a field to come 
down in from a height of a hundred feet or so, 
that field he has to come down in. ( )f course it 
might be possible to turn a little to the right or 
left if the ground was seen to be exceedingly bad, 
from close inspect ion, but such a maneuver would 
be attended with a good deal of risk. 

The difficulty of making a landing, after an en- 
gine si very much greater when the 
breakdown comes at a moment when the pilot is 
passing over woods or hills or perhaps even over 
a town. 

Then what is required is a nerve of iron. 
There may, perhaps, be only one small spot in 
sight upon which a landing is possible. The pilot 
has to maneuver his machine with extraordinary 
care so as to be able to reach this place without 
losing whatever speed he has got upon his ma- 
chine. It is only by the exercise ot the greatest 
care and skill that a vol plane ran be safely and 
surely made. 

For a beginner to attempt cross-country living, 
without having previously made several inten- 
tional vol planes, is an extremely dangerous pro- 
ceeding; and yet, as I have said, I have known of 
many cases in which an enthusiastic airman has 



TH FLYING 223 

and to fly 
from point to point relying solely upon the po- 
of I in dire distress should 
ir fail him, and a 
lecessai 



CHAPTER XIII 

THE VALUE OF PRESENCE OF MIND IX FLYING 

When in January, 1910, the news came of the 
death at San Sebastian of M. Leblon, one of the 
most expert pilots of the Bleriot monoplane, 
man}- people remembered the very remarkable 
feat which he achieved at the first Doncaster 
meeting. 

I make a special reference to this act of 
Leblon's, because it illustrates a feature oi aerial 
work. To be a successful airman, one needs in 
the present stage of these machines to 1 
good judgment, and also — to a remarkable de- 
gree — to have very ready presence of mind. 

Unexpected things are always happening in the 
air. The man who is not ready to cope with any 
emergency that comes along may find himself in 
a very awkward predicament. 

Of all the cases in which a splendid presence 
of mind has been displayed in the face of a highly 
critical situation, I do not suppose that a more 
impressive instance could be found than that of 
Leblon's effort to save the crowd at this Doncas- 
ter meeting of 1909. 

224 



PRESENCE OF MIND IN FLYIXG 225 

The story, as it has been told to me by some 
of my friends who saw it, is indeed a remarkable 
one. It showed Leblon to have been the posses- 
sor of infinite resource — and heroism as well. 
Leblon, before he took up flying, was a well- 
known racing motorist. He had a characteristi- 
cally thin, hawk-like face, which was alive with 
energy and enthusiasm. His quick, keen eyes told 
of a mind trained to decision, and swiftness oi 
action. 

A remarkable thing about Leblon was his I 
beard, for which he became notable in motoi 
racing. It blew out after him in the wind as he 
tore along in racing cars. He was unvarying!) 
quiet of speech, and had a manner which 
strikingly in contrast to the quickness of his ac- 
tions, and the muscularity of his frame. 

As an airman, Leblon sprang very suddenh 
into prominence. Learning to pilot a Ble 
monoplane, he became a thoroughly proncien 
pilot in an astonishingly short space of time. Hi: 
characteristic, as a flyer, was to "climb" vt 
rapidly into the air from the moment he left 
ground. People got into the habit of say: 
" There goes Leblon," when he literally jumj 
into the air after a short run along the groii 
and soared up quickly to a height of several hun 
dred feet. 

The scene of his greatest feat — certainly 01: 
of the finest examples of presence of mind eve 



226 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

given — was the Doncaster Aerodrome. It was 
a dull, windy day. Around the two-mile course 
a large crowd had gathered. They had come to 
see the flying, but had been compelled to wait, 
bcause nobody quite cared to go out in the tricky 
wind that was blowing. 

Just before it had been decided to abandon 
flying for the day, Leblon brought out his mono- 
plane with the remark, " I will try a flight, just 
so that the public shall not be disappointed/ 1 The 
remark was typical of him. From a good mi 
people there was disapproval. Some of the m 
cautious among his fellow airmen strongly dis- 
suaded him. But Leblon would listen to no ar- 
guments. He got out his machine, and replied 
to cautions with a shake of the head, and a con- 
fident smile. He rose into the air and sped 
away. The tree-tops fringing the aerodrome w 
swaying in the treacherous wind. 

When the crowd saw that ! had come 

out to fly, so that they should not be disappointed, 
there was naturally a roar of applause. Every- 
body watched the pilot with keen excitement as 
he made a flight a hundred feet above the track. 
More than once the monoplane slid suddenly side- 
ways through the air, the plaything for the mo- 
ment of a vicious gust. At this, the cheering 
crowd fell silent, and many people held their 
breath. But Leblon brought his monoplane back 
again into balance quite safely, and made more 
than once a reassuring wave with his arm. 



PRESENCE OF MIND IN FLYING 227 

After the pilot had been flying for only a short 
distance, and was approaching a part of the 
course where, upon his right hand, the crowd was 
thickest, a quite unexpected thing happened. A 
gust of wind caught the aeroplane partly from 
above. It pitched wildly, then it swerved side- 
ways and approached the ground. It was evi- 
dent to those who were looking on that the air- 
man could not check the descent of his machine. 
It landed at a high speed, striking the ground a 
slanting blow. In its fall, it had turned side- 
ways, and was now facing towards the people. 
As a matter of fact, although he had appeared 
helpless, Leblon had managed very dexterously 
to keep his machine under sufficient control to 
be able to make a safe landing. His speed, how- 
ever, was very high. Directly in front of his 
machine, as it ran along the ground, was a line 
of rails, and a deep ditch. From the point at 
which he hit the ground these rails were not 
more than fifteen yards away. Behind them, 
some thirty yards further off, leaning against a 
second line of rails, were the close-packed ranks 
of the people. 

Nobody who w r as watching the airman's im- 
mediate peril of coming to grief in the ditch 
realized the far greater danger which was lurk- 
ing in the background. As he sped over the 
ground, at a speed that could not be checked, 
Leblon w r as a sufficiently good judge of pace to 



228 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

be able to see that he could not check his aero- 
plane before it went crashing into the railings, 
and afterwards into the ditch. He knew also that 
the result of the impact, as the machine charged 
the railings at a speed of some thirty miles an 
hour, would be disastrous to him. He knew 
quite well that at such a speed the machine would 
be broken up, and that he would in all probabil- 
ity be killed. 

In a second Leblon made up his mind what to 
do. This was his first indication of absolute self- 
possession. He allowed his machine to charge 
directly at the railings for a second, facing the 
breathless crowd. Then, having judged his dis- 
tance, with remarkable skill, he suddenly brought 
back his lever with a movement that caused the 
aeroplane to jump from the ground. With one 
bound the monoplane was in the air and had 
cleared the ditch and railings like a steeplechase 
horse. To those who were watching him, it 
seemed that the whole thing had happened in the 
twinkling of an eye. After this remarkable 
movement Leblon had intended, as he explained 
afterwards, to bring his aeroplane to a halt in 
the space between the railings and ditch which 
he had passed over, and the second line of rail- 
ings against which the people were standing. 

This maneuver he had decided upon because 
he had observed that immediately behind the 
spectators there was a fringe of tall trees. Had 



PRESENCE OF MIXD IN FLYIXG 229 

he kept on his way, after flying over the first 
railings, and over the heads of the people, he 
had calculated that he would not be able to rise 
sufficiently high to clear these trees. So he 
decided to come to rest on the open space be- 
tween the two sets of rails. 

But the wind was blowing behind him, and 
his machine was traveling much faster than he 
imagined. Although he dropped his machine 
very quickly after clearing the first rails, thus 
hoping to check its speed, he found to his dis- 
may that he was merely running out of one 
peril into another. 

He saw at a glance, as his machine was run- 
ning along the ground, that its momentum would 
carry it with a crash into the rails against which 
the people were standing. He saw too that the 
people were too tightly wedged together to be 
: to draw back and avoid him. 

In one second, in this new predicament, Le- 
blon had to make a very important decision. 
What was he to do? He realized that were he 
to run on there would be a dreadful disaster. 
At the same time he saw that should he be able 
to rise in the air again, and fly over the people's 
he< ;'.:, he would almost certainly come to grief 
m the trees which stood behind the people. 
Those who watched the airman's predicament 
from the course exclaimed that it was a veri- 
table death trap. 



230 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

But Leblon acted again, when he did so, with 
lightning speed. He realized that whatever he 
did he must not charge the close-packed crowd. 
And yet, lurking behind them, were the danger- 
ous trees with, as an additional complication, a 
high palisade. 

Seeing the aeroplane come tearing towards 
them, the people who were in the front rank of 
the crowd did their very best to draw back. 
But in this endeavor the}- were prevented by 
the weight of the people behind them, who did 
not see the danger which was impending, and 
who therefore stood slock still. 

All round the aerodrome, in the few seconds 
that passed after Leblon had struck the ground, 
the people stood breathless, wailing for what 
they feared would be the fearful crash of the 
machine striking the railings and collapsing into 
the midst of the crowd. 

But Leblon, quite unflurried, although one 
perilous situation had been followed immediately 
by another, even more fearful-looking, made up 
his mind exactly what he was going to do. He 
decided that, come what may, nobody but him- 
self must be endangered. 

As he said afterwards, in quite a simple, un- 
affected way, " I had to save the people." And 
this, in fact, he did with an altogether extra- 
ordinary exhibition of skill and presence of 
mind. 



PRESENCE OF MIXD IN FLYING 231 

Just at the moment when it seemed that he 
must come hurling among the people, Leblon 
acted. Waiting until the crucial moment came, 
he elevated his machine. To those who watched 
from the center of the course it appeared as 
though the monoplane jumped into the air like 
a thing of life. There was a flutter of white 
planes and that seemed all. The monoplane 
appeared to stand upright in the air. Then it 
shot over the heads of the people and disap- 
peared from view. 

What had happened nobody really knew 
until a moment or so afterwards. Officials 
came rushing across the course towards the 
place where the aeroplane had disappeared. 
Vaulting over the railing and thrusting their 
way through the crowd, they saw Leblon's 
aeroplane lying a complete wreck. It had come 
down beyond the last row of people, and only 
a few yards away from the trees and the wooden 
palisade which the airmen had seen and feared. 
Leblon himself, before the officials had come up, 
wriggled from under his wrecked machine with- 
out a scratch upon him. 

Delagrange, whose monoplane Leblon was 
flying at the time, was one of the first who 
came up to him. With no thought of his ruined 
aeroplane, Delagrange began to congratulate 
his colleague upon extracting himself so remark- 
ably well from the dreadful predicament in 
which he had found himself. 



2$2 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

But Leblon did not seem at all concerned re- 
garding his escape. He apparently thought that 
he had done one of the most ordinary things 
imaginable. His great concern was as regards 
Delagrange's broken monoplane. 

" I am so sorry," he said. " I did my very 

best to save the machine, but it could not be 

done. The people were right in the way, you 

see, and I was helpless. All I could do was to 

miss them, and then come down here as quickly 

'• could. Otherwise I should have struck the 

or the w< tee, and c >me to grief 

y badly." 

This was all th; id. Other people 

had to discover lor th< ves what a remark- 

able thing it \ lat lie had done. It appear 

that he had jerked his monoplane into the 
when it was almost in contact with the rails 
hich the people crouched. 

Shooting over their I hat m< 

le ma; i 1 the rush 

rom tli tad t< i lied 

no out. 

Between the spot e the lines of pec; 

ended and the fence which came before the trees 
began, Leblon had decided that he must make 
his descent. Fortunately, on this one open space 
that presented itself, there were no people mov- 
ing about. So, manipulating his machine in pre- 
cisely the right way, Leblon came swoo^ 



PRESENCE OF MIND IN FLYING 233 

down so as to land in this small spot. The re- 
markable feature was that there were people on 
both sides of this little gap, but none actually 
in it. 

Leblon could not adopt any method as regards 
his descent. He just came falling down, and 
landed so heavily that the wheels of his machine 
collapsed, and he felt the whole of the under 
part of the machine breaking to pieces under 
him. 

But in a situation which would have confused 
nine hundred and ninety-nine men in a thou- 
sand, Leblon had emerged quietly triumphant. 
It was one of the greatest losses to airmanship 
when this extraordinarily well-equipped pilot 
met his death. How he did so was for a long 
time a mystery. He had been flying for some 
days at San Sebastian. He was using a Bleriot 
monoplane fitted with the Gnome motor. 

Starting away one afternoon after a luncheon 
which had been held in his honor, Leblon began 
to make a flight out over the sea. People from 
the shore watched the progress of the aeroplane 
for some minutes. It was flying well and every- 
thing appeared to be all right. Suddenly, how- 
ever, as the machine began to make a turn back 
towards the land, it was seen to swerve, and fall 
with a crash into the water. At the point at 
which it fell the water was so shallow that the 
machine lay just under the surface, resting upor 



234 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

some rocks. When help was procured it was 
found that Leblon was lying in his machine 
quite dead. He had not been killed by the shock 
of falling, but had, in the doctor's opinion, been 
drowned. 

Subsequent medical opinion advanced an un- 
usual theory. It was that Leblon's accident was 
due, not to the effect of any wind gusts, or the 
breaking of any pari of his machine, but to 
sudden indisposition which overcame him. lie 
had, as has been mentioned, been lunching just 
prior to his flight. The wind improving, he 
hurried away from his lunch and began a flight. 

The rush through the air after a meal is sup- 
posed to have caused him to be overtaken by 
some sort of a fit. Had this been the case, he 
would have lost control of his machine, which 
would have come falling into the water in the 
way described by those who saw it. 

Leblon's death cast a -loom over the flyi 
world for a long time. He was a typically good 
man, and his loss was very keenly felt. As 
flying progresses, and as machines become more 
easily handled, the need for special men to fly 
them will not be so urgent. But the loss of a 
pioneer is always a serious thing. 

Leblon was the ideal type of pioneer. He 
was keenly interesting in every phrase of his 
subject. He had an expert knowledge of en- 
gines, which is a most important qualification 



PRESENCE OF MIXD IN FLYIXG 235 

for any man who goes in for airmanship in its 
present stages. His motor racing experiences 
gave him just the knowledge that is required 
of pace. 

To a man who has not traveled fast through 
the air, the first experiences with a flying-ma- 
chine are confusing. He feels that he is travel- 
ing so rapidly that he can scarcely find time to 
do all that it is required to do. But a man 
who has driven a racing motor-car at a speed 
of 60 or 80 miles an hour does not feel any con- 
fusion when he is asked to pilot an aeroplane 
through the air at a pace of, say, 45 or 50 miles 
an hour. 

In the future, of course, as this need for men 
trained to high speeds is more emphasized, we 
shall no doubt have some difficulty in getting 
pilots who will be able to drive a machine, say, 
at a speed of anything over 100 miles an hour. 
But I do not think there will be any very ap- 
preciable difficulty in this respect. A man can 
very easily adapt himself to new conditions. A 
fact to be remembered also is that the develop- 
ment of speed will be very gradual. This will 
give men an opportunity of accustoming them- 
selves to the advance. 



cha: :iy 

TIIE MILITARY 

As practical tests arc of infinitely more value 
than theory, I am going to describe a very in- 
teresting tesl — to disclose the utility of the 
aeroplane in warfare — which was made in 
Blackpool in August, [910. 

The idea, winch was evolved by military ex- 
perts, was to indicate how relief could he brought 
up from a main column to the advance guard 
a force in case of need, an aeroplane mes- 
senger being able to pass over any detachment 
of the enemy's troops which lay between the 
advance guard and the main body. 

The tests were carried out with the active 
co-operation of Mr. Huntley Walker, chairman 
of the Lancashire Aero Club. Colonel Gran- 
tham, an officer of experience in Indian warfare, 
drafted out the scheme, and I was able to act 
the part of the aeroplane messenger, using a 
Farman biplane which I had at Blackpool, and 
which w T as equipped with a 7-cyclinder 50-horse- 
pow^er Gnome motor. 

236 



MILITARY USE OF AEROPLANE 237 

The night before the test was made we had 
a discussion in the Lancashire Aero Club as to 
the actual military situation which was supposed 
to have arisen before the aeroplane messenger 
was called into requisition. At the suggestion 
of Colonel Grantham, we decided that it would 
be most instructive if it were assumed that a 
body of British troops were beaten back by the 
enemy from the sea at Blackpool to a position 
at Squire's Gate, some distance from the coast 
line, and in the center of the aerodrome where 
flying was in progress. 

Here, in a farmhouse, the British force was 
supposed to be making a final stand. The enemy 
were imagined to have effected a landing upon 
the shore and to be pushing as far as possible 
inland. The English force was assumed to be 
the advance guard of a much larger body which 
had established its headquarters at Lytham Hall, 
a country mansion some 6 miles inland. The 
owner of this estate, Mr. Talbot Clifton, very 
kindly co-operated with us in carrying out the 
experiment. 

On the afternoon of the test (Aug. 4) the 
v; ather was quite favorable for flying, and I 
reported to the " General Officer Commanding n 
at Squire's Gate, who happened to be Mr. Harry 
Delacombe, one of the officials at the flying meet- 
ing, that I was quite able to play my part as 
that of the " aerial messenger.'' He told me 



238 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

that the military situation necessitated an im- 
mediate despatch through the air to the head- 
quarters at Lytham Hall. The British force at 
Squire's Gate was not supposed to be a strong 
one, and it was reckoned that its position in ac- 
tual warfare would be hazardous. 

Whereupon Mr. Delacombe wrote out for me, 
quite in a military form, a despatch to be car- 
ried to Lytham Hall. It was, I believe, one of 
the first of its kind; I have preserved it very 
carefully. The message read as follows : 

"To Commander-in-Chief, headquarters, Lytham Hall, 
from General Officer Commanding 2nd Infantry Brigade, 
Squire's Gate. " Enemy lias landed from the sea. Have 
fallen back- on Squire's Gate. Occupying white farm- 
house. Entrenched and fortified. Can probably hold out 
for four hours. Reinforcements absolutely necessary; 
Enemy reported to be in considerable numbers between 
Squire's Gate and Lytham Hall. This report will be 
verified by aeroplane messenger, (dad to receive reply 
stating- when may hope to be reinforced." 

Folding this up very carefully and putting it 
in the breast-pocket of my flying suit, I went 
back to my aeroplane and got Carr, my 
" Gnome " mechanic, to start up the engine. 
In a minute or two I was away. The distance 
between Squire's Gate and Lytham Hall was 
about 6 miles. The country was of quite of a 
give-and-take description. There were woods, 
some hills, also a number of fields, and several 



MILITARY] USE OF AEROPLANE 239 

roadways to be crossed. I did a half-circle of 
the flying ground and set out across country 
at an altitude of about 300 feet. 

An hour previously I had been over the route 
in my motor-car and had memorized what land- 
marks there were in order that I should not go 
astray when flying. I may mention incidentally 
that the whole experiment was much criticised 
afterwards, on the ground that I had not as- 
cended high enough when making the flights 
between the two points. 

An enemy was, of course, assumed to be more 
or less between the British forces at Squire's 
Gate and Lytham Hall. They were reckoned 
to have rifles and field-guns with them and to 
be able to see me acting as aerial despatch- 
carrier between the two forces. Naturally, 
therefore, they would have attempted to bring 
me down by firing at me. At an altitude of 
300 feet the critics of the test asserted that I 
should have offered an exceedingly easy mark. 

This I did not for a moment deny, but I was 
careful to explain afterwards that my height of 
300 feet was merely a matter of convenience. 
The experiment was not to demonstrate whether 
an aeroplane could be hit or not, but purely to 
show that it was possible for a despatch to be 
carried safely and expeditiously across country. 

An important factor entered into the question 
of the height at which I flew. This military ex- 



240 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

periment was carried out during the progress 
of a flying meeting. Although it did not in any 
way interrupt the contests which were in prog- 
ress, it was not desired, at the same time, that 
it should last any longer than was absolutely 
necessary. I knew beforehand that I should 
have four despatches to carry. Therefore my 
aim was to pass between the two points as quickly 
as possible. It meant no loss of time to me 
" climb " to a height of 300 feet. I could do 
that quite easily before I got to the edge of 
the aerodrome and wenl ou1 across country. Bui 
had I circled round and round to get 1,500 or 
2,000 feet high before passing between the I 
points, it would have added very materially 
the length of time each journey occupied, a 
would have necessitated carrying on the 
ments till late in the evening. Having ibis in 
mind, and knowing that die lest was to be 
of despatch-carrying and not as indicating an 
aeroplane's immunity from gun fire, T consid- 
ered it quite reasonable to pass from point to 
point at 300 feet. 

But the test afterwards began to assume a 
good deal more importance than it had done at 
the time we carried it out. Military experts 
discussed it in a good deal of detail. While they 
were quite willing to admit that I had demon- 
strated the practicability of taking a military 
despatch through the air from point to point 



MILITARY USE OF AEROPLANE 241 

far more speedily than could have been possible 
by any means save that of an aeroplane, they 
one and all seized upon the point of my altitude 
in order to declare the experiment quite futile. 

Therefore, in describing this experiment, I 
have always made it a point to make it quite 
clear that it was only a matter of expediency, 
and not one of compulsion, that caused me to 
fly at 300 feet high instead of 2,000 feet. My 
engine was running very well at the time, and 
there was nothing at all to have prevented my 
" climbing " 2,000 feet or even 3,000 feet high. 
In fact, when these criticisms were leveled 
against me afterwards, I offered to repeat the 
experiment in a very conclusive way at any time 
convenient to the authorities. 

This project was interfered with by my visit 
to America, but I hope before long to be able 
to carry out another test. So far as the aero- 
plane's ability to act as a despatch-carrier is 
concerned, any fresh test cannot be more con- 
vincing than was the one at Blackpool; but, 
from a matter of height, it \vill be possible for 
me to pass from point to point at any reason- 
able altitude that is suggested as being likely to 
give the airman reasonable immunity from an 
enemy's fire. 

After this digression I will return to the ac- 
tual test we are describing. 

Flying across country, I approached Lytham 



242 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

Hall, an easily distinguished mansion standing 
in the center of a belt of trees. Passing low 
over a wood to the left of the mansion, I made 
a half-circle and landed in a small grass field 
which had been indicated to me as a good land- 
ing ground, by means of a white sheet spread 
on the grass. Descending quite close to this 
mark, I remained in my machine, with my en- 
gine slowed down, while I handed my despatch 
to the Commander-in-Chief of the troops at 
Lytham Hall, who was represented by Mr. 
Harry Harper, the airmanship correspondent 
and expert of the London Daily Mai!. 

He read my despatch carefully and questioned 
me as to my observations in passing acr 
country. I was, you see, supposed to he a " air 
scout" as well as a messenger. This aspect of 
aeroplane work cannot be overestimated as to 
its value, and had there, in reality, been any de- 
tachments of the enemy between these two points, 
it would have been scarcely possible for them 
to have lurked unseen while I flew over. 

The aeroplanist, in flying across country, see^ 
far more than the actual ground below him. 
Unfolded to him as he flies is a large expanse 
of country. Apart from that which he sees 
when he looks directly down, he can command 
a view of several miles, either in front or on 
each side of him. It is an amazing thing indeed 
how small details of a landscape impress them- 



MILITARY USE OF AEROPLANE 243 

selves upon one's mind as one flies from point 
to point. 

After reading my despatch, Mr. Harper gave 
me one which I was requested to take back to 
the hard-pressed troops at Squire's Gate. The 
message read as follows: 

; ' To General Officer Commanding 2nd Infantry Bri- 
gade, Squire's Gate, from Commander-in-Chief, Lytham 
Hall. Despatch received. Bearer reports about 2000 
troops, extended open order, on intervening country. 
Strong reinforcements advancing immediately on Squire's 
Gate, and hope to effect your relief within 3 hours." 

My return journey to the aerodrome was made 
without incident and I was able to hand my 
despatch to Air. Delacombe, thus having effected 
a direct communication between the two forces. 
It is useful to emphasize, should the reader not 
quite have grasped it, that had we been in actual 
warfare such communication, augmented as it 
was by observations carried out in crossing be- 
tween the two columns, could not have been 
carried out by any other instrument save the 
aeroplane. 

While Mr. Delacombe was deliberating as to 
the message that he should next send to his 
Commander-in-Chief, my mechanics were busy 
replacing a wire which had broken on my 
machine. 



244 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

Then I got away once more, this time bearing 
quite a long despatch from the troops at Squire's 
Gate to headquarters at Lytham Hall. This 
second aerial despatch was couched in the fol- 
lowing terms: 

" To Commander-in-Chief at Headquarters, Lytham 
Hall, from General Officer Commanding 2nd Infantry 
Brigade, Squire's Gate. Your despatch received. Aero- 
plane messenger reports that enemy's troops concentrat- 
ing to Westward, presumably with the intention of mak- 
ing combined attack with Naval forces now observed pre- 
paring to land. Aeroplane messenger reports three 
cruisers anchored about five miles west of our position 
and seven vessels Steaming directly in this direction from 
the southwest, about twenty miles distant. Large land- 
ing parties may be expected, therefore, to deliver com- 
bined attack within two hours. Trust reinforcement suf- 
ficiently strong be sent to intercept attack from sea." 

Not only did T carry a despatch, but on this 
occasion I took aloft with me also a passenger. 
This aerial traveler did not come with me merely 

for the pleasure of the trip, but in order that 
he might demonstrate another very essential 
aspect of the aeroplane in warfare. Mr. Ivor 
Castle, who was my passenger, was an expert 
photographer. He carried up with him a con- 
venient folding-camera, with which it was his 
intention to secure a series of photographs while 
we were flying across country in order that he 
might prove the possibility of the use of such 
bird's-eye views of the land below when an 
" air-scout " searches for an enemy's position. 



MILITARY USE OF AEROPLANE 245 

During our flight Mr. Castle, who sat imme- 
diately behind me in the small seat which is pro- 
vided on Farman biplanes for the use of pas- 
sengers, was able to secure six photographs 
which were of considerable interest. 

One of them showed roads and fields below 
with extraordinary detail. It would have been 
impossible for troops to have been lurking along 
the hedgerows without their presence being re- 
vealed in the pictures. 

One photograph which Mr. Castle took was 
illustrative of a farmhouse over which we passed. 
Llere, again, as an indication of what is possible 
in the way of aerial photography, this negative 
was unusually interesting. With absolute clear- 
ness, taken from an height of 300 feet, the photo 
showed the farm buildings, the yards around, 
and also revealed perfectly distinctly the farm 
hands who had ceased their work in order to 
gaze up at the swift passing of the aeroplane. 

Mr. Castle found no difficulty in pointing his 
camera in the desired direction while we were 
flying, and he experienced no difficulty in chang- 
ing his plates or in resetting his shutter. None 
of the plates which were exposed showed trace 
of being blurred through the speed of the ma- 
chine or by the vibrations of the engine. This 
photographic test was interesting inasmuch as 
it demonstrated, quite beyond question, that the 
camera, when used in conjunction with the aero- 



246 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

plane, is bound to have a very marked effect 
upon the future of reconnoitering work in war- 
time. 

Making quite a safe descent with my passen- 
ger at Lytham Hall, I gave over my despatch 
to the Commander-in-Chief, and in a few min- 
utes was able to begin my fourth and last flight 
to Squire's Gate, bearing the message printed 
below : 

"To General Officer Commanding 2nd Infantry Bri- 
gade, Squire's ( rate, fr< >m Commander-in-Chief. I de- 
spatch received. Aeroplane i ger's passenger lias 

been able to describe to me exactly enemy's present dis- 
position. We shall probably be in touch with enemy 

before you receive this." 

I reached my starting-point without accident 

and, giving over my despatch to Air. Delacombe, 
was able to complete the test, so far as the re- 
liability of my machine was concerned, with 
complete success. 

I may go back a moment, however, to describe 
the impression of his (light which was given by 
my passenger, Mr. Castle. He was enormously 
impressed by the clearness of the panorama dis- 
played below as the aeroplane passed across 
country. Further than this, he was amazed to 
see how easy it was, after he had descended, to 
remember the features of the landscape over 
which he had passed. This led him to make a 
remark which struck me as being very interest- 



MILITARY USE OF AEROPLANE 247 

ing. " Things one sees/' he said, " are almost 
photographically impressed upon the eye/' 

Air. Castle was emphatic in the belief that had 
troops been lurking anywhere on the tract of 
country over which we passed it would have 
been impossible for them to have escaped his 
observation. 

This completed the practical part of the ex- 
periment. It only remained for the generals to 
decide what value the aeroplane had actually 
been. It was assumed, of course, in estimating 
this, that the conditions had been those of actual 
warfare. Judging the results obtained in this 
practical way, it was decided that the aeroplane 
messages would have exercised a very important 
effect upon the situation had an enemy's opera- 
tions been in progress. To begin with, bearing 
despatches over a portion of the country occu- 
pied by an enemy would have been out of the 
question save by such means as I provided- 
Having effected this, it was clear that the small 
force at Squire's Gate would have been relieved 
by the pushing forward of the main forces at 
Lytham Hall. Thus, a reverse would have been 
obviated. Such a result, achieved under condi- 
tions which were quite ordinary, and with no 
special type of aeroplane, is, I think, sufficiently 
convincing to make any thoughtful person real- 
ize that in nearly all operations of the future 
the aeroplane will play a very important part. 



CHAPTER XVI 

THE MILITARY AEROPLANE 

Let me now consider the type of machi 
which is to become of practical use for rec 
noitering work in time of war. None of the 

aeroplanes which we possess at present is en- 
tirely suitable for this purpose. 

Some of those which have been used in te 
have not been able to take up a passenger. This 

means that the pilot must, in addition to control- 
ling his machine, be called upon to make rva- 
tions and mental notes of what he sees below him, 

while passing through the air. 

Although this can be done, and has indeed been 
done by biplane pilots who could have taken up 
a passenger had they cared to do so, such a 
method of observation is not a thoroughly reli- 
able one. 

It seems to me quite clear that, in any scientific 
method in aerial reconnoitering, the pilot of the 
machine must be left to control his craft without 
having anything else to do, and that the notes 
and map-studying must be carried out by a com- 
panion, specially trained for the work. 

248 



THE MILITARY AEROPLANE 249 

Thus we have some idea of the type of .mac, 
that will be necessary before aeroplanes can be 
built, as a standard, for military requirements. 
It has been represented to me, by more than one 
military authority, that the really ideal aeroplane 
for work in war-time should be able to carry three 
people as its regular " crew." 

If this machine can be made, and there is no 
question at all about this, the three people on 
board would have their duties allotted to them in 
the following way : The pilot would have nothing 
to do but steer his machine, and attend to the 
engine. A second man would act purely as 
commander of the aeroplane. That is to say, he 
would arrange, beforehand, a tract of cou: 
which was to be reconnoitered, and would sh- 
out upon his maps just which route was to be 
followed. 

Once the machine was in the air, this captain 
would direct the pilot as to the course he was to 
fly. He would tell him to ascend or descend, or 
turn to the right or left according to his (the 
commander's) idea as to how best the reconnoi- 
tring work could be done. 

The third passenger w the actual 

server or note-taker. ThI 
and note-book to hand, woi 
aeroplane's course upon his map as it 
the country, but would be re: I] 

notes made regarding the observations of the 
trip. 



250 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

To his lot, for instance, would fall the drawing 
of a diagram illustrating the position of a squad- 
ron of the enemy's cavalry. He would also, per- 
haps, have to follow out upon his map the course 
of a river. In addition, no doubt, he would be 
called upon to make comprehensive notes of the 
whole lie of the land as the aeroplane passed over 
it, so that he might, when returning to head- 
quarters, give a description to his commanding 
officer of the exact nature of the country which 
lay between his forces and those of the enemy. 

It is obvious, surd)', from this brief sketch 
which I have given, that it is impossible for the 
pilot of an aeroplane to fly his machine satisfac- 
torily, and to carry out aerial observations as 
well. 

The crew of three, upon a military aeroplane, 
certainly represents as near perfection as one 
could imagine. You have a pilot, witli nothing to 
do but concentrate his attention on the direction 
of his craft. In a wind, for instance, this would 
be absolutely essential. 

It is only on a perfectly calm day that an air- 
man can dare to remove his thoughts, for an 
instant, from the manipulation of the hand lever 
which operates his elevating plane and balancing 
planes, and the foot rod which — swinging from 
side to side on a pivot — permits him to turn his 
rudder like that of a ship. 

In a gusty wind, an aeroplanist needs to be as 



THE MILITARY AEROPLANE 251 

watchful as a cat. As the gusts strike his ma- 
chine, it turns from side to side, sways over, and 
plunges as well. How much motion there is in 
an aeroplane in a wind people scarcely realize. 
More than once, when struck by a heavy gust, 
the aeroplane has made so rapid a drop that the 
pilot has almost been thrown from his seat. 

As a matter of fact, in such work as aerial 
reconnoitering, which may very frequently have 
to be undertaken in adverse weather, it is vital 
that the pilot should be left entirely undisturbed 
to the control of his machine. 

All that is necessary for him to do is to obey 
the commands of the officer who, having nothing 
to do but to direct the course of the aeroplane, is 
most fitted to choose the best course for the work 
in hand. 

As regards the third member of the crew, the 
actual observer, his work will, it can be seen, be 
sufficiently arduous. To be of any use to a gen- 
eral commanding troops, the work of the air- 
scout must be undertaken very painstakingly and 
very thoroughly. What reports are brought to 
hand must be comprehensive and accurate, par- 
ticularly as regards the disposition of troops that 
are seen. 

For this reason again, it is clear that one man, 
and one man alone, must be responsible for the 
actual observation work, although, in case of 
doubt, there is no reason why the observer should 



252 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

not turn to the commander of the aeroplane, ; 
seek to verify some observation that he has made. 

Photography, of course, enters very largely 
into the possibilities of this kind of work. There 
are occasions, I can foresee, when the camera will 
be very useful ; but in rapidly conducted recon- 
noitering work, where the aeroplanes sent out 
will have to return immediately to headqu 
the observation conducted must be communicated 
by word of mouth, by the marking upon a ma]), 
or by diagrams roughly but clearly drawn while 
in the air. 

In this respect, of course, training will be nec- 
essary before anything like perfection is reached, 
and it is in this aspect of airmanship that nations 
have so much to do. And yet, among man)' mili- 
tary authorities, I have not observed an appreci- 
ation of the amount of what one may call die 
spade work which lias to be done before the aero- 
plane reaches its full use as a war weapon. 

In the aeroplane demonstrations which, (m a 
very limited scale, were introduced into the last 
autumn maneuvers in England, there was no 
attempt, beforehand, to get any officers trained 
to act as observers upon aeroplanes. 

The result was that the pilots themselves, who 
were not thoroughly acquainted with the work 
of reconnoitering, were called upon to do the best 
they could. 

It is in such carelessness as this that the aero- 



THE MILITARY AEROPLANE 253 

plane loses its value. As it requires the greatest 
skill to fly an aeroplane with safety, so it will re- 
quire a great amount of systematic work to make 
full use of aerial craft in time of war. 

tit of preparation that will be neces- 
sary before any army can regard its aeroplane 
service as being satisfactory is not properly real- 
ized. Not only will it be necessary to have a corps 
of specially-trained pilots, but there will need to 
be trained a body of officers thoroughly ac- 
quainted with the technicalities of the aeroplane, 
one of whom will be appointed to take charge of 
each machine. 

Then will come the observers, who can only be 
trained to a high state of efficiency by making 
innumerable aerial trips, and by thus studying, 
in a practical way, the duties they will have to 
perform. 

Nor will this be all. There will be need for a 
special corps of mechanics, thoroughly convers- 
ant with engines, and with the other gear of aero- 
planes. They will be in charge of whatever re- 
pair work is necessary. In a campaign it will be 
quite a science in itself to see that the spare parts 
necessary are brought quickly to the spot where 
they are needed. I can foresee myself the design- 
ing of special motor vehicles containing assort- 
ments of engine parts, spare struts, wires, etc., 
which will be driven from point to point in pursuit 
of the aeroplanes which are in service. Thus, if 



254 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

an aeroplane comes to grief, it will be possible 
for the repairing vans to be quickly on the spot, 
and for the machine to be put in trim again with 
a minimum of delay. 

It is perfectly obvious to me, even in this earli- 
est stage of development, that it is futile for any 
government to go half-heartedly into the prob- 
lems of flight. The army which lias a certain 
number of aeroplanes, without their equipment 
and use being scientifically studied, will find that 
their air-corps will fail them when the time of 
need comes. And, on the other hand, the Power 
which enthusiastically prepares to make full use 
of its air service will find itself more than repaid 
by so doing. 

You can imagine quite well what will happen 
one day, in actual warfare, when the aeroplane 
is called into practical use. You can picture a 
general holding a position and being uncertain 
whether to advance or retreat until he knows 
exactly how the enemy confronting him is dis- 
posed. He wants to know, for instance, whether 
it is upon the position immediately facing him 
that the enemy is concentrated. He desires to 
find out what their cavalry is doing, and also 
where their artillery is moving. 

So what must he do? He calls up the officer 
who is in supreme charge of the air corps. This 
officer, by the way, will be a very important per- 
son. He will not need to concern himself with 



THE MILITARY AEROPLANE 255 

minor questions affecting the use of the aero- 
planes, but will be thoroughly acquainted with 
their disposition from day to day, what pilots are 
immediately available, and also whether the cli- 
matic conditions prevailing at the moment are 
suitable for aerial reconnoitering. To this officer 
the General will convey his requirements. He 
will explain that he wants the whole of the 
enemy's position reconnoitered, and as complete 
a report as possible presented to him with the 
minimum amount of delay. 

What this may mean can be understood, per- 
haps, when it is remembered that in more than 
one case, in recent history, a battle front has ex- 
tended for a distance of more than 50 miles. 

After receiving his instructions the com- 
mander of the aeroplanes will call up the officers 
who are in control of a machine. It can already 
be seen how readily organization enters into the 
use of aerial craft for military work. To the 
officers in charge of the machines their com- 
mander will explain what section of country has 
to be observed. 

He will study a map with the officers in charge 
of the aeroplanes, and will sketch out the area 
which the reconnoitering aeroplanes will have to 
cover. This point being clear, each officer will 
return to his aeroplane and show the observer, 
upon his map, what the actual work in hand is 
to be. 



256 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

Then the pilot, having taken his seat, and the 
mechanics having stated that the mechanism of 
the machine is in perfect order, the air-craft will 
soar aloft. Each machine will set out to recon- 
noiter its own particular tract of country. 

Here, again, you see the power of organization 
illustrated. Without such organization it will be 
impossible, in any future warfare, to make a com- 
plete reconnaissance of a large stretch of country 
— only a part of which may be by the 

enemy's troops. 

The evolution^ of the aeroplanes, while per- 
forming their reconnoitering v. ill be t 
treraely interesting. The im of the pil 
before setting out over the enenr mtry, will 
be to attain a considerable altil Althou 
his height will be largely govt cific 
work which is in hand, it is generally c< 
that aeroplanes will fly at very considerable alti- 
tudes when they are in any danger of coming 
within the reach of gun-fire from an enemy. 

Col. J. E. Capper, who is one of the great 
authorities upon aerial \ arfare in England 
that he does not imagine an aeroplane, when 

actually passing over an enemy, will find it safe 
to descend below an altitude of 5,occ feet. 

That effective reconnoitering work can be c 
ried out at this altitude has already been made 
clear. Of course, in cases where the obsei 
cannot be absolutely certain that what he s 



THE MILITARY AEROPLANE 257 

below is, say, a squadron of cavalry, the pilot will 
be asked to make a swift descent to a little lower 
altitude, and then to mount quickly again, in 
order that a more detailed view can be obtained 
of the land below. 

The employment of a number of aeroplanes to 
carry out reconnoitering is advisable, seeing that 
a large tract of country can be more quickly ob- 
served if a large corps of machines are distrib- 
uted over it; and it is quite clear that in the ma- 
jority of cases a commander-in-chief will desire 
to have information brought to him as speedily as 
possible. 

The advantage of being able to distribute a 
number of machines over a wide tract of country 
is that, whereas a good many of them may draw 
blank and return without news, there are sure 
to be one of two which will provide information 
of a valuable nature. 

When each aeroplane has completed its recon- 
noitering trip, it will return to its headquarters. 
Then, when all the machines are back in their 
places, the officers in charge of them will have a 
consultation with their commander. Each officer 
from the aeroplanes w T ill have his map. Upon 
this map will be indicated the positions of any 
troops which have been detected during the aero- 
plane's voyage. 

In addition, the observer from each of the 
machines will have his notes as to the character 



258 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

of the country passed over. In this way, after 
only a brief talk with the men who have carried 
out the actual observation work, the officer com- 
manding the aeroplanes, who has not himself left 
the ground, will be in possession of a full descrip- 
tion of the enemy's position and movements. 

Then, when he has made himself acquainted 
with every detail of the report, and has sketched 
upon his own map the salient points presented to 
him, the officer commanding the aeroplanes will 
seek the Commander-in-Chief. 

Such systematized work will quickly show its 
value. A Commander-in-Chief, for example, 
who is busy with a hundred details of a battle, 
will never find time to cross-examine the pilots 
and officers in charge of a dozen aeroplanes. 

All that he wants to know is what has been 
seen over an appreciable tract of country, and 
whether his own deductions as to the disposition 
of the enemy's forces are correct or not. 

It is to provide him with this information, as 
much curtailed as possible, that the officer com- 
manding aeroplanes will first sift the news 
brought back to him before presenting it to the 
supreme authority. With his map ready to hand, 
and the notes of the observers conveniently pen- 
ciled down, the chief of the air-corps will be able 
to lay the position before his superior officer in 
the space of only a few minutes. Such informa- 
tion as this, precise and to the point, will surely be 
invaluable. 



THE MILITARY AEROPLAXE 259 

In connection with the reconnoitering of an 
enemy's position by a number of aeroplanes, the 
question arises as to what damage will be done 
to them by the fire from the enemy's guns. Here, 
as a practical pilot, I think I may be able to make 
some observations which are of value. It should, 
in my opinion, be possible for a reconnoitering 
aeroplane to do the great part of its work without 
coming within range of an enemy's guns. Given 
a clear day and the ability to rise to a consider- 
able altitude, and granted also that the observer 
is able to use his field-glasses with effect, I am 
quite sure that all the information necessary, re- 
garding an enemy's lines, could be procured with- 
out imperiling the lives of the observers. Of 
course, there are many points like these which can 
only be proved by actual warfare. 

But what I want to make clear is my belief that 
during the time that the reconnoitering aeroplane 
is carrying out its work, it will not, as some critics 
aver, be subjected to a hot fire from an enemy's 
guns. In a great many cases, I foresee, the enemy 
will never be aware of the fact that their position 
is being reconnoitered from the air. In other 
cases, I can also see, the enemy's gunners will 
observe nothing but a speck in the sky, in the far 
distance, to represent to them the " eye " of their 
foe. 

Naturally, seeing that we are dealing with such 
a thing of war, the inevitable is bound to happen. 



260 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

Some martyrs are bound to give up their lives 
in the service of their country. When large num- 
bers of aeroplanes are sent out, it is certain that 
some proportion of them — what proportion no 
one is in a position yet to say — will be struck by 
enemy's shells. 

What will happen to an aeroplane when 
" winged " one can scarcely say. I E an essential 
part of its sustaining or controlling gear is de- 
stroyed there will be nothing to save its crew 
from destruction. 

From rifle fire there will not be so grave a risk. 
It will be possible to hit an aeroplane with bullei $, 
in many cases, without bringing it to the ground. 
For the reason that they will thoroughly appre- 
ciate the vulnerability of their craft, the crew of 
an aeroplane will seek, with all their skill, to find 
out as much as they can about an enemy's posi- 
tion without offering themselves as a target to 
the guns below. 

A much debated question is the vulnerability 
of the aeroplane when assailed by gunfire from 
below. Upon this problem there is really no very 
definite data as yet to hand. Gunners, as one 
might expect, declare that they have no doubt 
at all but that the aeroplane can very easily be 
hit by means of a special gun, even when flying 
very high and very fast. 

But, in proof of these contentions, which are 
very generally made by experts upon artillery, 



THE MILITARY AEROPLANE 261 

there are no practical tests forthcoming. I know 
personally of several experiments which have 
been made to see whether an aeroplane can be 
struck by shot or shell. In one of these tests, 
made in France, kites were sent up to represent 
the aeroplanes. On the ground, towing these 
kites, were a number of motor-cars. 

The kites were moved through the air at a 
speed which, when their height was taken into 
consideration, was reckoned to represent a rate 
at which an aeroplane would be traveling. Fir- 
ing at the kites were a number of picked gunners, 
using field-guns. 

The actual record of hits and misses is not 
definitely known. As a matter of fact, the results 
attained were not given out. But I heard, on 
quite reliable authority, that the gunners failed 
altogether to establish their claim that an aero- 
plane constitutes an easy mark. Of the series of 
shots fired the majority went quite wide of the 
kites, and those which were successful reached 
their target rather more by luck than by the 
marksmanship of the men behind the guns. 

This result, although it cannot be described as 
conclusive, was certainly interesting. It must be 
remembered that, in firing at these kites, the gun- 
ners had a good deal to their advantage. The 
kites were not moving at the speed of an aero- 
plane when flying fast. Neither were they mov- 
ing from side to side as an aeroplane pilot would 



262 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

be when he knew he was actually under fire. 
Therefore, in actual practice, it would have been 
much more difficult to hit an aeroplane than it 
was to make good practice at these kites. The 
few hits which the gunners registered, when aim- 
ing at the kites, would scarcely have been made 
had they been leveling their guns at an aeroplane 
flying past them. 

Another test — in which a good deal of interest 
was evinced not long ago — was carried out in 
Germany by a number of German experts. In 
this case, instead of using kites, a number of bal- 
loons were employed. These balloons were not 
large ones, of a passenger-carrying capacity, but 
were miniature spheres filled with hydrogen, and 
painted black. When the gunners were ready to 
fire, these balloons were released, one by one, and 
allowed to float upwards to a specified height 
before any artillery was discharged. The heights 
the balloons attained, and the distances they were 
away, were carefully calculated, as was the speed 
at which they were traveling. 

Here again, I am informed, the results obtained 
were all in favor of the aeroplane. Through the 
movement of the balloons, and the unexpected 
nature of the work they were asked to carry out, 
the gunners did not accomplish what they were 
expected to do. In fact, the hits they registered 
were very few and far between. 

In this case also, the conditions favored the ar- 



THE MILITARY AEROPLANE 263 

tillery. So here we have two tests, more or less 
useful, in which the theory that an aeroplane can 
be easily hit by gunfire was not substantiated. 
There is a third experiment, of which I have re- 
ceived tidings, which was conducted by the Brit- 
ish Admiralty not so very long ago. Regarding 
this, however, no very conclusive news has leaked 
out. From one authority I have heard that the 
target fired at was hit many times. From an- 
other, on the other hand, I learn that the gunners 
did not succeed in getting many hits. 

The target, in this case, was a large kite con- 
structed roughly to represent an aeroplane. It 
was towed by a torpedo-boat at a certain distance 
out to sea. As it passed a battery, the gunners 
opened fire upon it. Here again the conditions 
were greatly in favor of the battery. It is much 
more easy to hit an object which is moving for- 
ward in a perfectly straight line than it is to aim 
correctly at an aeroplane moving in curves or 
circles or darting up and down. 

Suppose, for the sake of argument, that an 
aerial scout has to come so near an enemy that he 
is actually subjected to their fire. Directly he 
sees that he is actually in danger of being hit, his 
plan will be to make himself as difficult a target 
as possible. 

What will he do therefore? He will turn rap- 
idly either to the right or the left and he will alsc 
climb quickly in order to plane down again. Thus 



264 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

he will make himself an exceedingly difficult and 
puzzling target. Such evolutions will, without 
doubt, materially increase the difficulties of a 
gunner when asked to shoot at an aeroplane. 
Another point must be taken into consideration 
also. This is, that the aeroplane will become, as 
it improves in speed, even more difficult to hit. 
The present calculations of military experts, 
when they say that an aeroplane can be brought 
down by gunfire, are that this machine will 
be traveling at a pace of more than 40 or 45 miles 
an hour. 

What will happen in the near future, however, 
is, that aeroplanes will be traveling, not at 45 
miles an hour, but at So and even an 100 miles 
an hour. The difficulties of a gunner, und 
such circumstances, can easily be understo 
Whether a gunner will be able to hit an aeropl 
which is traveling at a speed of 100 mi 
hour, at a height of 5,000 feci, it is, >f course, im- 
possible to say, because no tests bearing u] 
such a question have been made 
me that its speed, and the small object that it will 
present at such a height as 5,000 feet, will m 
the aeroplane an exceedingly difficult mark e 
for the most expert gunners provided with 
weapons for shooting at aerial craft. 

A great deal of work has, of course, been done 
in the way of building special guns for the 
struction of aerial foes. So far, enterprise in this 



THE MILITARY AEROPLANE 265 

direction has chiefly come from Germany. The 
great Krupp works, for instance, have produced 
several guns, some large and some small, with 
their barrels so arranged that the sky can be 
quickly sighted in any direction. 

Science has also progressed to the extent of 
fitting such guns upon motor cars, so that they 
can be moved quickly from point to point. But 
the tests of such weapons, under entirely prac- 
tical conditions, are not yet forthcoming. Until 
they are — and it will not be until warfare comes 
that actual experiment can be made — the whole 
question of the vulnerability of the aeroplanes 
must remain more or less of a mystery. 

On the one hand we have the opinion of some 
of the most expert of military authorities, who 
say that, given specially trained gunners and a 
weapon designed solely for the purpose, they can 
guarantee to bring down an aeroplane flying at 
a considerable altitude with a certain amount of 
ease. Supporting their contention, however, is 
no practical proof. 

On the contrary, what tests have been made 
certainly go to prove that an aeroplane would 
afford a very poor target indeed. Pilots them- 
selves and those who have studied this question 
with more or less of an impartial mind, have no 
hesitation in declaring that the aeroplane, skill- 
fully handled, would baffle the most expert gun- 
ners the world can produce. 



266 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

It is significant to note that, in all the conversa- 
tions I have had with military experts, the point 
of the destructive possibilities of the aeroplane 
has not been touched upon. 

By general consent, I think, the opportunities 
which the aeroplane may offer for bomb dropping 
or shooting from above are left to be determi 
by practical tests after an air corps has demon- 
strated its ability to carry out observation work- 
in a satisfactory way. 

More than one military authority who lias 
briefly touched upon bomb-dropping by aeroplane 
has told me that he thinks there Is very little in 
this aspect of flying. 

Another, J remember, far more open-minded, 
observed: kk Of course in picturing what an a( 
plane might do in a destructive way, one has to 
deal with the present-day machines rather than 
with those of the future. 

" Uses I foresee for the aeroplane as a destruc- 
tive instrument are at night, or in connection with 
attempts to destroy such things as powder maj 
zines, special buildings, or isolated forts. It 
seems to me that, even with the limited amount of 
damage that a present type of aeroplane could do, 
the moral effect of a night attack, delivered by 
such machines, would be very o-reat. 

" One can for instance imagine a number of 
aeroplanes setting out after dark and discharging 
bombs over an enemy's position. It would not be 



THE MILITARY AEROPLANE 267 

the actual destructive effect of such bombs which 
would count, but the panic which might result 
from the sudden attack from the sky. 

" It is clear, of course, that soldiers would soon 
lose their fear of aerial foes. This has been 
shown in connection with almost all the new war 
weapons that have been introduced. For a time, 
for example, a new form of explosive has pro- 
duced a ' panicky ' effect upon the men encounter- 
ing it for the first time. 

" But to anything, however deadly, it is human 
nature to be accustomed. Therefore it must be 
taken for granted that troops in modern warfare 
will soon lose their fear of the aeroplane. In 
cases where the dropping of one or two bombs 
will have a destructive effect, I foresee that the 
aeroplane will be exceedingly useful. But during 
the din of battle, when shot and shell are falling 
fast, I do not think that the bombs from an aero- 
plane will have very much definite effect; and it 
must also be remembered that, in order to make 
effective aim with any method at present known 
or suggested, an aeroplane would have to descend 
fairly near to its target in order to make good 
practice with its bomb dropping. In doing this 
it would subject itself to a probably deadly fire 
from below. Taken all round, I do not foresee 
any very serious use for the aeroplane as an in- 
strument of destruction — at any rate for some 
time to come/' 



268 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLAXE 

This opinion struck me as being a very fair- 
minded one, although I, as an airman, did not 
quite agree with the view that the aeroplane's 
destructive work is so limited, even at the present 
time. 

Frequently, at flying meetings, I have made 
tests to determine how it is possible to drop bombs 
from an aeroplane in flight. At Blackpool, after 
having had the shape of a battleship whitewashed 
on the aerodrome, I ascended to the height of a 
little less than iooo feet, carrying with me a 
basket in which I had placed some 20 composition 
halls which were supposed to represent bombs. 
Passing to and fro over the outline of the battle- 
ship I endeavored to drop them as near the center 
as possible. 

Although this was practically the first time I 
had made such an experiment, I discovered that 
taking aim even, for a beginner at such work, 
was not as difficult as had been stated. I forget 
exactly how many hits I made, but I know that 
everybody was surprised at the accuracy of my 
aim. 

A thousand feet, of course, was not very high 
to be flying for such a purpose, but I have no 
doubt that, with a little practice, it would be pos- 
sible to release bombs from an aeroplane in flight 
with very good effect. 

Of course, a point to be considered is the 
weight of explosives it would be possible to take 



THE MILITARY AEROPLANE 269 

up in the air with one. In this relation, one's 
capabilities are limited owing to the lifting ca- 
pacity of present-type aeroplanes. But I am sure 
a pilot in war-time would be able, upon occasion, 
to make the aeroplane a very definite engine of 
destruction. 

It seems to me that one of the most useful ways 
to employ the aeroplane for destructive work 
would be to send it out to make a night attack. 
Not only would such a project have the effect of 
alarming an enemy, but an aeroplane attacking 
by night would run much less risk than in the 
daytime of being struck by shell. 

There would not be many occasions, however, 
upon which an aeroplane could be used as a, 
weapon. It is true, generally speaking, that the 
most useful work will be done in the way of aerial 
reconnoitering. But it must be remembered that 
the present-type machines are only in their in- 
fancy. Although, with such machines, observa- 
tion work is easy, they certainly fail somewhat 
when regarded from the point of view of primi- 
tive work. As the machines progress, however, 
their importance from an offensive point of view 
is bound to increase. When we can get a machine 
which w r ill carry a dozen people, and fly at the 
pace of 100 miles an hour, the margin allowed 
for weight-carrying will permit bombs and guns 
as well to be carried aloft. 

A high-speed metal-built aeroplane, well ar- 



270 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

mored from fire from below, and carrying a spe- 
cial form of quick-firing guns, will play a very 
important part in warfare of the future. But 
that may be looking ahead for some years. 

What we must realize is this: if a war broke 
out quite soon, and even if aeroplanes improve 
no further than we at present know them, they 
would prove an invaluable " arm." Therefore, 
no Government can afford to be without them. It 
is a mistaken policy, too, for any War Office to 
say that they will wait and see what other nations 
are doing. 

Although it is easy enough to copy some aero- 
plane, when one has the facilities, it is not pos- 
sible to create, in a short time, the whole equip- 
ment of men and mechanical devices which will 
go, in time of actual war, to make the aeroplane 
a really efficient auxiliary. 

It is a case of anticipating, rather than of wait- 
ing to see what use an aeroplane can actually be. 
What every country ought to do is to prepare 
for the future. Machines of all kinds must be 
experimented with. Officers specially told off for 
this work must be gaining experience from day 
to day so that they may be ready at any time to 
make full use of any opportunities that may arise 
for an effective use of the aeroplane as a despatch 
carrier or as a machine for carrying out observa- 
tion work. 

One very important aspect of the use of the 



THE MILITARY AEROPLANE 271 

aeroplane in war is the fact that its cost will be 
very low compared with the work that it will be 
able to perform. 

This feature of aerial work is not properly 
understood, particularly by military experts. A 
whole corps of machines could be built at a very 
low cost. A machine bought in the ordinary way 
costs its purchaser, say, from nine hundred to a 
thousand pounds. There is little doubt but that 
a number of machines for military use could be 
built in Government factories and equipped with 
engines at a price of less than £600. 

When it is remembered that, in a campaign, 
any one of these machines might have the power 
to alter the whole course of an action by the news 
it brought in, one cannot consider this cost to be 
a high one. This point, too, has importance in 
regard to the question of the destruction of 
machines. When a country can obtain a fleet 
of aeroplanes at the low cost the loss of one or 
two of them — apart altogether from the ques- 
tion of the loss of human life — is not a very 
important one. 

It is interesting to note, in connection with the 
development of military airmanship, that a great 
many manufacturers are seeking to produce an 
aeroplane specially designed for war purposes. 

In this connection, one may say, without con- 
tradiction, that none of our present-type aero- 
planes are entirely suitable for military purposes. 



2J2 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLAXE 

What are the essentials for this special work? 
In the first place, the aeroplane must be unusu- 
ally strong. In the second place, it must be very 
portable. In the third place, it must be highly 
efficient. 

These three requisites are not easily combined 
in an aeroplane. With the idea of furthering the 
construction of such a machine, the French gov- 
ernment is offering very handsome prizes. Their 
experts explain exactly what they require in the 
way of a military aeroplane. 

One of the most significant demands is that the 
machine should be able to land in, and rise from, 
a plowed Held. Such a machine does not, of 
course, exist at the present time. 

The most practical form of landing chassis is 
a clever combination of wheels and skids. In the 
early days of flying, this question of landing 
proved to be one of the most difficult. 

The Wright brothers, alter considering it care- 
fully, produced a machine which landed upon two 
skids. This was found to be quite efficient. But 
the difficulty with it was, that the machine could 
not be launched in the air, when starting a flight, 
without the assistance of a stretch of rails. 
Along these rails the machine ran, on a little car- 
riage. When the end of the rail was reached, the 
carriage automatically fell away from beneath 
the machine, which then had sufficient speed to 
rise on the air. 



THE MILITARY AEROPLANE 273 

Apart from the simplicity in construction which 
this device offered, it was possible to lighten the 
aeroplane appreciably by not fitting any wheels 
to it. But one very conspicuous disadvantage of 
this system was apparent. 

Wherever the machine was taken, here also 
the starting rail had to be carried. At the early 
aviation meetings, when all the flying was done 
from one spot, this disadvantage w r as not so ap- 
parent. But as soon as the reliability of their 
engines permitted pilots to make long cross- 
country flights, the inconvenience of the rail- 
starting system was quickly seen. 

Then it was that a landing device was built in 
which the skids of the Wright brothers and the 
wheels of the other early type machines were 
combined. 

A word should, perhaps, be interpolated here 
to describe the first landing devices in which 
wheels alone were employed. One finds a typical 
instance in the Voisin biplane. Here, mounted 
on a carriage of metal tubing, were two very 
strongly-made bicycle wheels, fitted with pneu- 
matic tires. Enabling them to withstand the 
shock of a sudden descent upon the ground, these 
wheels were attached to springs which permitted 
them a good deal of elasticity when the moment of 
contact with the ground came. 

In this connection many people seem to imagine 
that the shock, when an aeroplane. returns to the 



274 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

ground, is far more violent than is really the case. 
When an aeroplane is skillfully piloted back to 
earth the weight upon the landing wheels at the 
moment it touches the ground is remarkably 
small. What happens, of course, is that, until its 
speed is very greatly reduced, the sustaining 
planes of the machine are performing their work, 
as they do in the air, and are holding up the 
weight. 

Thus, at the moment of contact, the running 
wheels are called upon to support only a very 
small proportion of the total weight of pilot and 
machine. But it is not for good landings alone 
that the chassis of an aeroplane has to be de- 
signed. Abrupt and heavy landings are very 
frequently made. When they occur, the strain 
upon a landing chassis is very great. 

And there is a great deal of importance at- 
tached to the landing devices of aeroplanes for 
a very good reason. In the majority of cases, 
when the chassis of a machine does collapse, the 
greater portion of the aeroplane is wrecked. 
How this happens may easily be understood. As 
soon as the chassis collapses, the main planes are 
allowed to strike the ground with disastrous re- 
sults. The breakage of the chassis generally 
means an abrupt stop, when traveling at a high 
rate of speed, which has a shattering effect upon 
the whole structure of the machine. 

Tests which were made with the first of the 



THE MILITARY AEROPLANE 275 

wheel type of chassis showed that it was quite 
efficient when subjected to nothing more than 
ordinary shocks. But, when a violent landing 
was made, it was discovered that it was difficult 
to construct a wheel form of chassis which would 
be sufficiently strong. 

The wheels frequently buckled under any se- 
vere strain. They were particularly vulnerable, 
also, to the effects of a landing made sideways. 
As soon as the sideway shock was applied to one 
of them, it buckled up. 

The effect of this was to wreck the machine. 
What happened was this : The axle, unsupported 
by the broken wheel, stuck into the ground. This 
turned the whole machine over sideways, and 
very little was left of it. As a rule, in these 
smashes on the ground, the pilot escaped unin- 
jured. His position near the center of the ma- 
chine generally gave him immunity. 

This difficulty with the wheel type of chassis 
led Mr. Henry Farman to go very seriously into 
the question in the early part of the summer 
of 1909. The result w T as a form of chassis 
which has not yet been surpassed in point of 
practicability. 

Below the center of the lower main plane of his 
biplane, supported on uprights, were placed two 
long wooden skids. Attached to each of them, 
in an ingenious way, were two small bicycle 
wheels, one on each side of the skids, and joined 



276 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

together by a short axle. Holding this axle to the 
skid was no rigid device. Instead, several elastic 
bands were passed over the axle and firmly at- 
tached to the skids. 

The result was a shock-absorbing device of a 
particularly efficient nature. In operation this 
clever wheel and skid device acts in the following 
way. In an ordinary smooth landing the wheels 
first meet the ground, and rise very slightly 
against their rubber supports. Then the rear 
edges of the skids touch the ground, and act 
slightly as a brake, gradually bringing the ma- 
chine to rest. 

In heavy landings what happens is this: the 
wheels are forced up against the rubber bands, 
and the skid between them comes into contact 
with the ground, taking the more violent shock 
of the contact. Then, with a rebound, the wheels 
come into play again and the machine runs along 
the ground until its momentum is exhausted. 

It is possible, with the Farman type chassis, to 
make landings upon fairly rough ground. But it 
is a fact also that no chassis yet designed will 
permit anything like a safe landing to be made 
on very rough ground. 

Yet this is what the military authorities de- 
mand. Their view, naturally, is that an aeroplane 
might, in the exigencies of war, have to descend 
in a plowed field, or upon some quite uneven 
piece of land. For such a machine to be unable 



THE MILITARY AEROPLANE 277 

to rise again, after such a landing, would mean 
that it would have either to be destroyed, or al- 
lowed to fall into the hands of the enemy. The 
practicability of a landing device is, as a matter 
of fact, one of the most important features of a 
military aeroplane. How it is going to be made 
possible for an aeroplane to ascend out of a 
plowed field it is difficult at the moment exactly 
to determine. But some of the clever construct- 
ors are working at the problem; and one of them 
told me, only the other day, that it will be solved. 

The ability of an aeroplane to rise into the air 
more quickly than is at present the case will have 
a material effect upon getting away from bad 
ground. It is possible, I foresee, either by having 
a method of moving propellers up and down, or 
by altering the angle of one's planes, to get into 
the air very much more quickly than is at present 
the case. If this can be done, and with a chassis 
designed specifically for rough work, I cannot see 
why the plowed field test should not be success- 
fully carried out before the end of this year. 

Even what can be done at present, in the way 
of quick rising in the air, is very remarkable. At 
Blackpool, during last summer's aviation meet- 
ing, I was able to rise into the air, from a standing 
start, after moving across the ground for only 
20 feet 9 inches. In fairness, however, it should 
be stated that this remarkably short run was 
achieved very largely by starting against a con- 



278 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

trary wind. In the ordinary way, 25 or 30 yards 
is a fair distance for a pilot to run along the 
ground before he has attained sufficient speed to 
rise into the air with a biplane. As regards a 
monoplane, better results are attained, a machine 
frequently leaving the ground after a run of only 
15 yards. 

A highly important aspect of the military aero- 
plane is its portability. In war-time what the 
experts desire is a machine which shall be carried 
from point to point, following the troops without 
inconvenience or delay. 

In discussing this matter with me not long ago, 
one of the greatest experts upon military trans- 
port said: " I will tell you the sort of aeroplane 
we want from the point of view of transport, and 
not of flight. We want a machine that can be 
loaded up on a big motor lorry. With it, on the 
same lorry, will have to ride the aviator and two 
or three skilled mechanics. 

" When the machine has been brought to the 
point from which it is to be flown it will need to 
be put together very speedily. I foresee the sort 
of machine that can be packed away in a big crate, 
and this crate clamped upon a specially-built 
lorry. I should imagine that the planes of the 
machine will be fixed to the sides of the crate in- 
side, and that the engine, and other gear, will 
occupy the middle portion of the crate. The test 
will come, of course, when the mechanics start 
to put the machine together. 



THE MILITARY AEROPLANE 279 

' The ideal to be aimed at, in this respect, is 
that the machine should be put together in about 
half an hour. The quickest time for this assem- 
bling work so far is, I understand, about an hour 
and a half. Such a period, however, would be too 
long for the assembling of an aeroplane urgently 
required for reconnoitering work. I know, of 
course, that this quick assembling is not easy. It 
means some form of construction in which w r ires 
are not so freely used as is at present the case. 
The skill of the mechanics, in doing their work, 
would naturally enter very largely into the matter. 
I see, of course, that the difficulty of carrying 
such a machine from point to point on a motor 
car is increased by the fact that it needs to have 
sufficient lifting surface to carry 3 passengers. 

■• But there is, surely, no reason why some form 
of construction should not be adopted which will 
permit the planes of a machine to be arranged in 
sections, which can easily be joined together when 
the machine is required for use, and yet which 
can be stowed away in a small space when the 
aeroplane is being transported from point to 
point. There is no reason, either, so far as I can 
see, why it should not be possible eventually for 
some telescopic plane to be devised. If such a 
form of construction should prove possible it 
would, of course, have an extremely important 
effect upon problems of transport. 

" I, and others as well, see that w r e are setting 



280 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

the aeroplane manufacturer a very serious task in 
fulfilling all our requirements. We must have a 
machine that is portable. We must have a ma- 
chine to carry more than one person. We must, 
also, have a machine which is highly efficient. It 
is also essential that a military aeroplane should 
rise quickly into the air and climb fast to any 
desired altitude. 

" More than one manufacturer has told me that 
one demand negatives the other. It may do so in 
the view of those who do not think that the mili- 
tary aeroplane is likely to be evolved very soon. 
But, in my view, it will not be long before the 
machine we desire is to hand. The builders of 
aeroplanes have every inducement to persevere 
in their attempts to produce the ideal machine for 
military work. Once the machine we want has 
been made there will be a very large demand for 
it. Besides, their experimental work in produc- 
ing such a machine will be of the utmost value to 
the manufacturers in making designs for aero- 
planes of general utility/' 

This expression of opinion is interesting and 
instructive. 



CHAPTER XV 



AN EXPERT MILITARY OPINION ON THE 

AEROPLANE .,*.■** 

I think it would be interesting to add to what 
I have written myself upon military flying an 
expression of opinion, which has beefi very 
kindly written for me by a military officer w r ho 
has had a grfeat deal of experience both in the 
field and also at flying meetings. This officer has, 
in fact, studied the aeroplane from the point of 
view of its military significance for at least two 
years and has assisted in the carrying out of a 
great many tests to prove its value. What he 
says is this: 

" In the various army maneuvers which have 
so far been held the aeroplane, although its ap- 
plication has not generally been well organized, 
has proved of very great interest. It has, in- 
deed, demonstrated one or two very interesting 
points. On many occasions I have heard critics 
declare that Governments, and particularly offi- 
cers in command of troops, are pig-headed and 
disbelieving so far as the possibilities of the 
aeroplane in warfare are concerned. 
L^lft.:. .1 281 j 



282 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

" Here, however, there is a very considerable 
misapprehension. I have talked with officers of 
great distinction and experience as regards the 
use of aeroplanes in an action. I have also had 
the opportunity of deciding pretty accurately 
what the views of a great many other well- 
known men happen to be. 

" There is not, I am convinced, anything in 
the nature of real apathy on the part of those 
who are responsible for what one might call the 
administration of war. Not one of the authori- 
ties with whom I have spoken have made light 
of the aeroplane. Not one of them so far as 
I can remember has raised anything that one 
might describe as a foolish or prejudiced 
objection. 

" What I am sure of is that those people who 
have been advocating, day in and out, the use 
of aeroplanes in war have been, to a very marked 
extent, doing their own cause harm. This may 
sound rather a strange statement, so I will ex- 
plain it. A great deal of foolish argument has 
been employed with the purpose, apparently, of 
forcing the governments of various countries, 
and particularly of England, to adopt the aero- 
plane on a large scale. Deputations have wait 
upon ministers. A great many foolish articles 
have been written in newspapers by men who 
have not had a thorough grasp of their subject. 
There has been an attempt, so far as England 



EXPERT MILITARY OPINION 283 

is concerned, to create a panic. The Govern- 
ment has been held up to scorn for its lack of 
enterprise, and one or two other campaigns have 
been embarked upon which have done little good 
towards the object desired and have, as a matter 
of fact, checked progress to a great extent. 

" Ministers of War cannot very well allow 
themselves to be forced into the adoption of the 
aeroplane without giving the whole question of 
aerial warfare the very closest consideration. 
Once or twice, after a notable flight has been 
made, there has been an outcry as to why the 
War Office has not provided the country with 
an aerial fleet. Such arguments and ' scares ' 
have not moved the authorities at all. It would 
have been far better had the people who have 
written and spoken so much moderated their 
views a little and waited to see what was ac- 
tually going to be done. 

"To begin with, the authorities in England, 
and elsewhere as well, have felt a good deal of 
diffidence in approaching this question of aerial 
warfare. In no field of experiment is a greater 
sum of money to be spent, and in no path of 
research is less result very often to be shown 
for it. In comparison with what France has 
been doing, we in England have lagged very 
much behind. But the theory is, in this respect, 
that leeway can, up to a certain point, be very 
rapidly made up, once it is seen that tfrere is 



284 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

a clear line ahead for development. The idea 
that one may make up lost ground quickly is, 
I know, one which is very largely questioned by 
those experts who say that England should have 
proceeded in the matter of flying" step by step 
with such a country as France. Undoubtedly, 
the policy in England has been to see what 
others have been doing before embarking upon 
any definite line of construction ourselves. 

" It was not long ago that I had the oppor- 
tunity of explaining to a very high authority 
what people said regarding the policy of what 
was called by one critic who came to me — 
' wait and see/ People declare, I explained to 
this high authority, that when we consider the 
time is ripe to build a number of aeroplanes and 
equip our forces with a regular aerial arm, we 
shall find ourselves unable to produce as efficient 
a department as that of a country which has 
been working in this field for several years. 
What is meant by this, I think, is that the ex- 
perience gained by these early experimenters will 
fell so greatly in their favor that even when 
we can match them in the way of apparatus 
they will still be ahead. 

" To this remark of mine the high authority 
with whom I was speaking replied : ■ War has 
been become a very complex affair. So complex 
is it, indeed, that there are many new aspects 
of it that can scarcely be understood even by 



EXPERT MILITARY OPINION 285 

those who study them very carefully. That the 
aeroplane will, sooner or later, introduce a new 7 
factor into war I quite foresee, and others foresee 
the same thing as well. But the attitude of a 
general in command of troops is that he has so 
many complications already, as regards the or- 
ganization and operation of his troops, that he 
cannot very well encumber himself with another 
unless he feels sure that it is going to be of 
proved value. Of course people must not run 
away with the idea that a country which does 
not throw itself whole-heartedly into this new 
question of aerial navigation is turning a cold 
shoulder towards the whole problem. And yet 
this is, I am afraid, the view of a good many 
people as regards England. Our attitude as a 
people towards things in general rather predis- 
poses us to such a view. Because one or two 
of our well-known military men have thought it 
wise to criticise the wild claims that have been 
made as to the use of aeroplanes in warfare 
we have got the reputation of having no interest 
in this subject, and of throwing cold water upon 
any experiments which have been suggested. 
The reverse is the case; Personally I am not 
at all sure that the wisest policy in the end will 
not be to carry out quietly and thoroughly such 
experiments as will permit us to keep abreast 
of scientific knowledge, and to delay a general 
construction of aerial machines until we feel 



286 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

more sure than we do at present which is the 
best of type for military work. Against any 
such policy as this there is, I know, the retort 
of those who would say, ' But suppose a war 
breaks out to-morrow, what will you do against 
a country which has already a large fleet of 
aeroplanes ? % The reply to that is that it is the 
intention of the authorities to equip themselves 
with a fair number of machines of all kinds so 
that in case of any sudden emergency they will 
not be left in any way helpless. And it is a 
very useful policy also, and one which we are 
pursuing, to have an adequate factory ready for 
the making of machines quickly and thoroughly 
when a definite type has been resolved upon. It 
is even more useful, in preparation for the es- 
tablishment of regular air-corps, to have a large 
•number of officers and men well trained for 
aerial work, and ready to handle machines of 
all makes. All this preliminary work is being 
carried out. Men are being got ready. Ma- 
chines are to be tested. Reports are to be made 
upon them. In fact everything is to be done 
save build large number of machines. Why we 
should not do this is, I think, pretty clear. If 
one equips oneself with a large fleet of aero- 
planes of any known type, such as are available 
to-day, they would almost undoubtedly prove ob- 
solete in a surprisingly short space of time. In 
such circumstances we should have to build all 



EXPERT MILITARY OPINION 287 

over again. I can hear the remark being made 
that any government should be quite prepared 
to do this. The criticism would be a fair one 
were existing machines absolutely practical so 
far as their use in war is concerned. But they 
are experimental. During the summer of 191 1 
there is no doubt that a far more useful machine 
from the military point of view will be available. 
Therefore it would have been foolish, a few 
months ago, to have yielded to a popular cry, 
and to have encumbered ourselves with a large 
fleet of aeroplanes. 

" The conclusion was jumped to, quite early 
in the history of aeroplanes, that the conquest 
of the air had been absolutely attained. This 
was not, of course, the view of experts. It was 
the view of the public, more or less, and it was 
also the view of a great many people who took ■ 
upon themselves the task of writing to the papers 
and asking why England was not provided with 
an aerial fleet. 

" Many very vital points were entirely omitted 
by these people, who took such an enthusiastic 
view of flying. That machines could only fly 
when the wind was low was a point not consid- 
ered at all. That engines frequently broke down ; 
that landing could only be effected on certain 
ground; that the machines were tremendously 
bulky and extraordinarily frail — such points as 
these were quite diregarded. 



288 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

" When a man had flown for 3 hours these 
enthusiasts argued as though they believed that 
a machine could fly for 3 hours at any specified 
time and in any sort of wind. From this atti- 
tude it is, of course, very easy to condemn any 
authority which hesitates, even for a month or 
so, in embarking whole-heartedly in the construc- 
tion of aeroplanes. 

" What our authorities in England may be 
blamed for, if they arc to be blamed, is for hav- 
ing proceeded with a great deal of caution. That 
they have not realized that the aeroplane will be 
become a very important factor in warfare I can- 
not admit. Everything I have seen and heard 
proves the contrary. Bilt what is wanted now, 
abov£ everything else, is a diligent training of 
men to fly. Any country which holds back a little 
from the making of large numbers of aeroplanes, 
with a view that all machines are at present ex- 
perimental, and that a whole fleet will have to 
be rebuilt in a few months' time, must, from the 
point of view of its own safety, embark very 
seriously upon teaching a whole corps of men 
the art of flying a machine. 

" The value of this policy can, I suppose, 
readily be seen. It is possible with a well- 
equipped factory, and with all materials to hand, 
to build a large number of aeroplanes in an ex- 
ceedingly short space of time. This fact hab 
been worked out by those who do not advocate 



EXPERT MILITARY OPINION 289 

a large policy of construction at the present 
time. 

" But what cannot be done in a hurry, how- 
ever grave the emergency, is the training of men 
to fly. Therefore, what any country wants to 
do is pretty plain. It needs to purchase a fair 
number of aeroplanes, representing the principal 
types which have been successful, and to detail 
a certain number of promising men to fly these 
machines. From their reports as to their prog- 
ress, and as to the performances of the machines, 
a great deal of valuable data can be acquired 
as to the most promising forms of construction 
for military work. 

" When once a country has a large number 
of men ready to take the air without delay a 
grave element of danger is removed. After the 
training of men, the next step, of course, is to 
build a thoroughly practical aeroplane for mili- 
tary use. I think as regards the year 191 1 that 
a good aeroplane for war purposes will be 
evolved. What can be done, apart from actual 
construction on the part of a Government, is for 
encouragement to be given to the makers in a 
country to experiment with, and devote time to, 
the evolution of a reliable and portable machine 
for military work. 

" Here one sees a good opportunity for people 
of private means who have more than once come 
forward to assist the movement. In France these 



2Q0 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

prizes to encourage military machines have al- 
ready been offered. But, in this case, there has 
been no waiting for private enterprise. The 
prizes have been offered by the War Depart- 
ment itself. Thus a maker can feel sure that 
if he produces a good machine he will be repaid 
for his trouble: 

" Before I turn to another point as regards 
flying in its relation to war it will be as well, 
perhaps, to condense in a single sentence the at- 
titude of more than one conservative govern- 
ment as regards the aeroplane. Jl may, in a few 
words, be put as follows: k lentil an aeroplane 
can be relied upon to carry out what military 
authorities would require of it under war con- 
ditions, they cannot be bothered by adding it to 
their many responsibilil 

ik I must say that the progress made with 
aeroplanes, during the time I have studied them, 
has been extremely hopeful. I have seen one 
difficulty after another overcome by the sheer 
determination of those who have been in the 
forefront of the movement. For example, the 
seemingly hopeless task of obtaining a reliable 
motor for aeroplanes has been surmounted ex- 
traordinarily well. It is no exaggeration to ^ay 
that, at the present time, the best types of aero- 
plane motors are almost as reliable as those that 
are fitted to motor cars. 

" This, from the military point of view, i^ 



EXPERT MILITARY OPINION 291 

highly important. - Progress has to be noted, 
also, in connection with the airman's abilitv to 
fly in winds. Although a gre I yet remains 

to be done in this respect, I have seen many 
flyers battling with breezes of a velocity of 20 
and 25 miles an hour. Long flights are being 
made, also, with passengers. It is hard, in fact, 
in view of recent flights of more than eight 
hours, to quite appreciate what progress has been 
made. 

" After coming back from some of the flying 
meetings of 1910, I found, in fact, that it was 
hard to regard the aeroplane any longer as an 
experimental machine. After seeing flights 
made day after day, often in unsuitable weather 
conditions, and with unfailing regularity, one 
seems almost to realize that what was once im- 
possible is now being made possible. 

' What the future tests of the aeroplane will 
show, I think, as regards military work, is its 
value in reconnoitering work to disclose the for- 
mation of an enemy behind a line of troops 
thrown forward as a sort of screen. Cavalry, 
of course, have a great use in reconnoitering 
work, and organization can carry this work to 
a very great pitch of perfection. Cavalry scouts 
will, for instance, locate for a General the posi- 
tion of a first line of an opposing force. 

" But what they cannot do as a rule is to 
probe beyond this first line. They cannot tell 



292 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

him one thing that he is particularly desirous 
of knowing — the way in which the General 
opposing him is massing his troops behind the 
mask of his advance guard. In this respect, as 
I have often argued with military men, the aero- 
plane has a very great opportunity. 

" Rising from some suitable spot it will bear 
aloft an observation officer. He will order the 
pilot to mount until he has attained an altitude 
from which he can see right over the enemy's 
first line, and can detect exactly the direction 
in which the bulk of the troops are being 
concentrated. 

" Then he can descend, and impart his infor- 
mation to his commanding officer. How vitally 
important such news as this might be one need 
hardly emphasize. Let me, for example, quote 
a case which came within my own personal 
knowledge during my campaign in China. We 
were held up for 5 hours without being able 
to help ourselves just because we had no means 
of estimating the exact strength of an enemy 
which was barring our way, and which was in 
Dccupation of a village. 

" Having no information, it would have been 
foolish for us, under the circumstances in which 
we found ourselves, to have forced our way 
ahead. So we waited, although the 5 hours' 
delay meant a great deal to us. 

" At the first aviation meeting I attended this 



EXPERT MILITARY OPINION 293 

predicament of ours came into my mind. It 
occurred to me that, had we had a portable aero- 
plane as a part of our equipment on that occa- 
sion, we could have sent an airman off, and have 
had a report back within practically a few min- 
utes. What he would have been able to tell us 
was what we found out ourselves only by very 
devious means. It was that the enemy were 
more or less ' bluffing/ and that they had no real 
strength at this position at all." 

In some final and very interesting notes my 
military contributor adds: 

" Not that scouting exhausts all the possibili- 
ties of the aeroplane in warfare. Dispatch- 
carrying, through the air, opens up an exceed- 
ingly new and useful field. In this connection 
I can, perhaps, make my point clearer if I again 
quote from an experience of my own. In this 
case, two columns of troops were advancing in 
order to deliver a joint attack upon an enemy. 
So far as I can remember, about 20 miles of 
country divided the two columns. 

" But the point about it was that it was ex- 
ceedingly bad country. There were mountains 
between us, and there were no roads to call by 
that name. To add to the complications, parties 
of the enemy were moving between the two col- 
umns. Under such circumstances any ordinary 
method of communication would have been — ■ 
and indeed was — not only extremely danger- 



294 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

ous for those carrying it out, but also very 
uncertain. 

" And yet, in order that the two columns 
should work perfectly in unison, it was essential 
that we should keep in touch with each other. 
Here, beyond all else, an aeroplane would have 
been simply invaluable. 

" Whereas cavalry would have been greatly 
bothered by the hills which divided us, an aerial 
messenger would not have minded about them 
at all. Nor would he have been perplexed by 
any question of the fording of rivers. Neither 
would he have troubled at all at the fact that 
there were small parties of the enemy be- 
tween us. 

" His high flying, which would have been es- 
sential owing to the hills over which he would 
have had to pass, would have taken him, no 
doubt, far above any bullets sent after him. In 
half an hour, had w r e been fortunate enough to 
have possessed such an aerial despatch-rider, we 
could have sent a message from our column to 
that which was co-operating with us at the time. 
In a little more than an hour we should have 
probably received the reply of the officer with 
whom we had been communicating. How ex- 
traordinarily useful such quickly-carried news 
and instructions would very often be can only 
be appreciated by those who have been actually 
engaged in military operations. 



EXPERT MILITARY OPINION 295 

" One of the most interesting tests I have seen 
was that carried out by Mr. Grahame- White at 
Blackpool, and to which reference has already 
been made in this book. The significant point 
about it, in my view, was the fact that Mr. 
Grahame- White carried four urgent despatches 
through the air with an absolutely unfailing 
regularity. Had the conditions been those of 
actual war, and had the disposition of the troops 
been as we supposed, there is no doubt at all but 
that Mr. Grahame- White would have won for 
us our action. 

" From the uses to which I have already seen 
the aeroplane put, it seems to me that it could 
be employed in a hundred and one ways to the 
.aid of a force in the field. I can picture an 
army moving through a country that they do 
not know very well, and with an enemy lurking 
somewhere around them. 

" It is urgent, before going any further, that 
they should have something in the way of defi- 
nite information. Therefore, they invoke the 
aid of an officer, who has his aeroplane with 
him, and who is ready to go forth and 
reconnoiter. 

" He flies on, let us say, for an hour, during 
which he makes a fifty-mile circuit of the land 
all around his base. Then he descends, and tells 
his commanding officer just those things about 
the lie of the land, and possibly also about the 



296 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

position of the enemy, that he is most anxious 
to know. This is only one instance that occurs 
to me on the spur of the moment. One could, 
if one wanted to do so, duplicate them almost 
to any extent. 

" In this essay I have not, so far, made any 
reference to the destructive powers of an aero- 
plane. In speaking of the destructive possibili- 
ties of the flying-machine, one means naturally 
the dropping of bombs by a pilot while he is 
flying* through the air. Why I have not made 
reference to this subject is because no real proof 
is forthcoming as yet that such work can be 
carried out. 

" It is true that, from an altitude of say 1,000 
to 1,500 feet, an object can be released by the 
pilot of a machine with a good deal of preci- 
sion. Studying this question with a good deal 
of attention, I have more than once seen tests 
carried out. 

4k But a thousand feet is scared v high enough 
to be of much value as a test. It would mean 
that if a pilot, in actual war-time, dared to try 
any destructive work from such an altitude, he 
would expose himself to a most deadly fire from 
those from the ground. 

'• It is clear that a pilot's height, in order to 
give him anything like a margin of safety, when 
gunners are seeking to bring him down, should 
be from 3,000 to 5,000 feet. And I have not 



EXPERT MILITARY OPINION 297 

seen or heard of any conclusive tests that bombs 
can be dropped from an aeroplane, with accu- 
racy, from such a height. 

" Personally, however, judging by experiments 
that I have seen, I should say that any projectile 
can be let fall from an aeroplane with a good 
deal more accurate aim than any sceptics im- 
agine. At Blackpool, for example, I saw Mr, 
Grahame-White release a number of bags of 
flour from varying altitudes, and his aim was 
very good. 

" But in each case, however, he was not at 
a height that would have permitted him to have 
escaped gunfire directed at him from below. 
Many more tests, and tests of a far more am- 
bitious character, are necessary before one can 
agree with enthusiasts that the aeroplane has 
any big future as a destructive factor. What 
one wants to prove is that projectiles can be 
released from a machine when in flight from a 
height ranging from 3,000 to 5,000 feet. If 
this can be done, the subject merits the very 
closest consideration. 

" I should now like to say a final word. Al- 
ready, granted ordinarily favorable weather — 
that is to say, a wind of not more than 20 or 
25 miles an hour — any airman sufficiently ex- 
pert can demonstrate conclusively that aircraft 
have become of unquestionable use in modern 
warfare. 



298 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

" But it must, of course, be remembered that 
airmanship is in a period of transition. What 
the future will bring forth we have yet to see. 
But from my own observation I am convinced 
that the aeroplane is destined to play a most 
important part in the warfare of the future." 



CHAPTER XVI 

AVIATION MEETINGS AND THE ELEMENTS OF 
THEIR SUCCESS 

One of the most remarkable features of the 
development of the flying movement has been 
the fact that, with scarcely any exception, public 
demonstrations of airmanship have proved a 
financial failure. 

How great a failure some of them must have 
been is indicated by the statement made to me 
not long ago by one of the organizers of several 
of the principal meetings. 

" Although," he said, u it is difficult to obtain 
precise figures as regards all meetings, one may 
say definitely that not far short of £ 100,000 was 
lost in England by the promoters of flying dis- 
plays during the season of 1910." 

When one considers that mechanical flight is 
the very newest thing in the world, and that it 
was estimated that people would flock in thou- 
sands just to see a machine in the air, this 
lamentable loss of money is very remarkable. 

I have talked to a good many well-informed 
people about it, and have formed a good many 

L -_ ... ^ _,.. , 2 99 VA^-Jl - l_*iiL LJ 



300 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLAXE 

conclusions of my own as to why it was this 
money was lost. 

The trouble goes back a long Directlv 

anything new is introduced into the world to-< 
people come along to exploit it. There are finan- 
ciers always who are quite willing to form com- 
panies and run concessions if the}' think there 
is money in any novelty that may be devised. 
Directly the first men Hew, it was decided 
clever people that there would be a great deal of 
money in the organization of flyin 

wt what really happened was that the ae 
plane was exploited publicly on a large scale be- 
fore it was sufficiently perfect to give practical 
demonstrations. The result was easy to trace. 
At the first meetings that were ever held people 
came long distances, and spent large sums of 
money, in order to see machines in the air. Had 
it been possible to provide them with a thor- 
oughly good day's amusement there is no doubt 
but that the flying meetings which followed 
would have been a very different proposition 
from the financial point of view. 

But these early-type machines could not fly 
in any breeze at all. Therefore, unless the con- 
ditions were absolutely ideal, no flying could take 
place, although large crowds of people had paid 
their money to see flying; and waited patiently 
all, day long in the expectation of at last seeing 
a machine in the air. 



AVIATION MEETINGS 301 

After one or two of these early fiascos flying 
meetings naturally obtained a rather bad repu- 
tation with the ordinary public. The direct con- 
sequence was that, although the people who lived 
in the neighborhood of a flying ground were 
quite willing to come out and spend their money 
in the hopes of seeing a machine aloft, specta- 
tors would not take the risk of embarking upon 
a long railway journey when they felt sure that 
at the end of their pilgrimage they would only 
see a few minutes' flying, or perhaps none at all. 

This fact was particularly noticeable as re- 
gards one or two of the meetings which were 
held in England. What ought to have been done, 
of course, was not to exploit the aeroplane for 
spectacular purposes until it was sufficiently per- 
fect to have given demonstrations in almost any 
sort of weather. 

But this, although an ideal which looks very 
well on paper, is not practical in such a world 
as that in which we live. The aeroplane was a 
brand new thing, and it has to be shown to the 
public with the least possible delay. 

There is no doubt, however, had not these first 
meetings been in some cases such dismal failures 
as regards weather, a very different tale would 
have been told concerning the money made at 
the subsequent meetings. 

Another point that played an adverse part in 
the finances of flying, meetings was the fact that 



302 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

enormously heavy expenses had to be paid be- 
fore a meeting could be held. These prelimi- 
nary expenses were scarcely understood by the 
men who organized the first meetings. In 
scarcely any case that I remember personally 
was the sum laid down in the first place for 
preliminary expenses adequate for the amount 
of money which had to be spent. 

In one case, I remember quite well, the or- 
ganizers of a meeting decided that a sum of 
£6,000 would be ample for the purposes of pre- 
paring an aerodrome, erecting sheds, and other 
such expenses. Their surprise and annoyance 
may be judged when I say that this cost of pre- 
liminary work totaled more than £12,000 before 
the aerodrome was ready for the public. 

In many cases, when a flying ground was in- 
spected, it looked to be most suit-able for its 
purpose. But, after it had been finally decided 
upon, many difficulties were mor^ often than not 
discovered. In one case, for instance, a num- 
ber of ditches and fences, as well as a large 
piece of marsh land, had to be treated, at a cost 
of a good many hundreds of pounds, before an 
aerodrome was pronounced, by technical experts, 
to be suitable for flying purposes. 

It is, of course, no easy matter to prepare a 
wide tract, perhaps three miles round, which 
shall be suitable at any point for an aeroplane 
to descend upon without damaging itself in any 



AVIATION MEETINGS 303 

way. This means that the ground must be 
smooth, and that there must be nothing in the 
way of an obstruction into which a machine 
might run. 

Apart from the question of preparing the 
ground, upon which many of the companies or- 
ganizing aviation meetings have had to spend 
treble the money they anticipated, there have 
been heavy expenses in arranging enclosures 
for the public, in building grand-stands, and in 
erecting a number of special sheds of a large 
size in which the airmen have housed their 
machines. 

What all these preliminary expenses have 
meant, in some instances, one may indicate by the 
quotation of actual figures. In one case I know 
the cost of a meeting, organized by a large 
town, was estimated at all the committee meet- 
ings at certainly not more than £10,000. As a 
matter of fact, this sum was considered to be 
an outside one. All the calculations as to profit 
and loss were made, before the flying meeting 
came on, upon the understanding that the pre- 
liminary expenses would not exceed this sum of 
f 1 0,000. 

But what happened was that, instead of 
£10,000 being spent, the town had expended a 
sum of more than £20,000 before a penny was 
taken at the turnstiles. Although the attendance 
of the public was, in this case, quite satisfactory, 



3-04 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

the result from the financial point of view was 
unfortunate. All the difference between profit 
and loss had been made by the fact that a mis- 
calculation, on a very large scale, had been made 
as to the cost of organizing the demonstration. 

A man who has recently had quite a unique 
experience of arranging flying meetings said to 
me apropos this subject: 

"It is really dreadful, in view of our later 
experience, to think of the sums of money that 
were wasted at these earl}' meetings. At m<»re 
than half of them there was scarcely anyb 
who knew anything about flying at all. Money 
was spent most recklessly in giving inducements 
to famous aviators to compete. 

'The arrangements of the enclosures, as re- 
gards the attendance of the public, were gener- 
ally very badly done also. 1 remember that, at 
one meeting I went to, a very large space in the 
best position had been reserved for people pa\- 
ing a guinea for their tickets, while the half- 
crown and shilling people were crow led together 
in a very inconvenient part of the arena. The 
idea, in this case, seemed to be that rich people 
would be the principal patrons of the me 
and that the crowd would not be present in any- 
thing like large numbers. As a matter of fact, 
the reverse proved to be the case, 
people came to the meeting to pay a shillim 
half-crown in very large numbers indeed. T 



AVIATION MEETINGS 305 

result was that these enclosures were inconven- 
iently crowded, with a detrimental effect upon 
the attendances at succeeding days, while the 
guinea enclosures were scarcely occupied at all. 
This is only one example of an error of judg- 
ment, but it is typical of many that were made 
in the early days of the flying meetings. 

" I do not mean that any mistakes like these 
would have made all the difference between profit 
and loss. What the real trouble was, of course, 
was that people were asked to come at a certain 
time and at a certain place to see something that 
could only be shown them if the weather was 
absolutely favorable. The result Avas bound to 
be unfortunate. But if a greater discretion and 
skill had been exercised in the matter of these 
details there is no doubt that, in a great many 
cases, the losses upon meetings could have been 
very materially reduced. 7 ' 

Many of the first flying meetings had to handi- 
cap themselves very severely by paying large 
fees to aviators to be present. The attitude of 
the pilots, in this regard, was quite natural. I 
'mention this because some of them have been 
blamed for demanding such high fees, in the 
early days of flying, that the financial aspect of 
the sport was ruined. 

But they calculated that large sums of money 
in this field was only to be made for a short time. 
They realized, also, that the meetings were being 



306 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

conducted purely on the money-making basis. 
So, seeing that they were taking whatever risk 
was being run, and were providing the spectacle 
that the people came to see, they felt quite jus- 
tified in asking very big fees in order to perform. 

Apart from what they asked themselves, 
moreover, it is a fact that organizers of meet- 
ings were competing so strenuously in arranging 
an attractive programme, that all sorts of ex- 
travagant offers were made to the livers who 
had the best-known names. 

Then, again, a great deal of money was spent 
upon prizes. There was, in fact, a tendency at 
first to devote quite ridiculous sums of money 
to the events which constituted a week's pro- 
gramme. These prizes proved a very heavy 
drain upon the resources of the promoters. 

Generally speaking, the number of people 
whom it was expected to attract at these flying 
meetings was very greatly over-estimated. More 
than one promoter trebled, in his own mind, the 
actual attendance which there was upon any day 
of a meeting. At nearly all the first events the 
preliminary estimate of the number of people 
who would pay for admission was at least double 
that which actually proved to be the case. 

The explanation for the lack of attendance at 
meetings is rather difficult to find. Most of 
those who studied the question in the early days 
believed that the sight of a flying machine would 



AVIATION MEETINGS 307 

have so potent an effect that great crowds of 
people would come together to witness any 
display. 

What it must be, I think, is that people have 
refrained from coming to flying meetings, and 
paying their money at the gates, because they 
have feared that they w r ould see nothing after 
all. This is really, so far as I can make it out, 
the only explanation why such a general interest 
is evinced in flying, and yet why so few people^ 
apparently, will go out of their way at all to 
see a machine in the air. 

The difference between expectation and real- 
ization in the attendances at a flying meeting 
is illustrated rather strikingly by some figures 
which I happen to have by me concerning the 
attendance at one of the meetings at which I 
flew. 

In preparing their ground, and in estimating 
their gate receipts, the promoters had calculated 
that there would be a daily attendance of the 
public amounting to at least 50,000. What 
really happened, how r ever, was that even on the 
best day of all during the meeting, when the 
weather w r as really fine, and a good deal of fly- 
ing was done, the actual figures did not show 
an attendance of more than 25,000; and on one 
or two days when the weather was distinctly 
bad, and only one or two men made brief flights, 
the number of people present fell to as low as 
3,000 and 4,000. 



3o8 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

After estimating very carefully what this 
meant, one of the directors of the meeting ob- 
served to me afterwards: 

" People seem to know now that flying is only 
possible when the weather is good. They won't 
spend their money and lose a lot of time in 
traveling only to find that the wind is too high 
for flights when they have reached the meeting." 

At a great many of the meetings I have seen 
it has been quite clear that the public wh<> have 
witnessed the flying have come almost exclusively 
from the districts immediately adjacent to the 
aerodrome. This was proved in connection with 
one meeting I was at. Here the ground had 
been chosen, in the first place, because it was a 
very good one, and in the second place because, 
although not situated close to any large center 
of population, it could be reached quite easily by 
train from a number of towns in which there 
were very considerable populations. 

The meeting was a very well-conducted one, 
the programme was good, and the flying, in a 
general way, came well up to expectations. A 
great point had been made in arranging with 
railway companies to run a large number of 
excursion trains from the towns around to the 
aerodrome. 

It was recognized that people might want to 
know in the morning, before starting away, 
what the day's chances of flying would be. So 



AVIATION MEETINGS 309 

a system was devised of having telegrams, de- 
scribing the chances of sport, posted up in promi- 
nent positions in all the towns from which 
spectators were expected to come. 

But the result was extremely disappointing. 
The special trains, although running very well, 
were scarcely filled at all, the meager attendance 
which was recorded consisting almost entirely 
of people who came from within easy distance 
of the aerodrome, and apparently did not mind 
wasting a few hours in the hope of seeing flights. 
But the people in the large towns further away 
evidently decided that the whole thing was too 
speculative for them. 

I am reminded, at this juncture, that I should 
have mentioned before, while talking of the cost 
of organizing a meeting, that a very appreciable 
item of expense has always been the transport 
of the aeroplanes. A present-day aeroplane is, 
of course, a very bulky affair. A biplane, even 
when reduced to what may be called small pro- 
portions in order that it may travel by train, 
represents a " parcel " which is forty feet long 
and nearly ten feet wide. No ordinary railway 
truck will accommodate one, and in some cases 
the aeroplanes form such unusual luggage that 
they cannot be got through tunnels. In the or- 
dinary way, when he is transporting his ma- 
chine from point to point by rail, an airman has 
to arrange for a special truck. On steamships, 



310 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

too, special accommodation has to be made to 
carry a machine. It is not surprising, therefore, 
to hear that in one case, when bringing a dozen 
biplanes from France to England, and in paving 
for their return to the spot from whence they 
came, the organizers of a meeting were face to 
face with an expenditure of as much as £1,500. 

Among the hundred and one incidental ex- 
penses that may crop lip when a syndicate has 
put its shoulder to the wheel and is organizing 
a meeting on a good scale, may be mentioned 
the predicament in which one party of organizers 
whom I know 7 found themselves. 

After spending a lot of money on leveling the 
aerodrome and in clearing away trees, besides 
erecting a number oi expensive grand-stands, 
they were suddenly brought face to face with 
the fact that a very large number of people 
would be able to see the airmen perform by post- 
ing themselves in fields surrounding the track, 
without having paid a penny to do so. 

There was only one thing to be done, and 
that was to raise some sort of fence so that the 
view of the unauthorized public was obstructed. 
This was done. At the last moment, and by dint 
of employing a number of men, a fence, made 
chiefly of canvas, was erected. This fence had 
to be made just on seven miles long, and was 
at least 10 feet high. 

As regards the amount of money paid away 



AVIATION MEETINGS 311 

in fees and prizes, I was told the other day that 
at five meetings this year a sum of at least 
£35,000 was secured by the airman taking part 
in these meetings. 

Very largely contributing to the non-success 
financially of many of the flying meetings of 
1910 were the following facts: 

1. The enormous expenses of preparing very 
large aerodromes, some of them with smooth, 
three-mile flying tracks. 2. The high fees paid 
to famous flying men. 3. The fact that the pub- 
lic have not come long distances to attend any 
meeting, because they have feared a disappoint- 
ment, as regards flying. 

As regards the future, many people who 
should know tell me that there will be no more 
flying meetings. Their argument is that the nov- 
elty has worn off. They do not think that people 
will pay any more to see flying. Upon this point, 
however, I am myself inclined to agree with 
them. 

Many people have asked me why it is that 
in France people are so enthusiastic regarding 
aviation. My reply has always been that the 
interest that is taken in flying in France is al- 
most entirely due to the fact that the people 
there have seen so much actual flying. They 
were able, so to speak, to take a friendly interest 
in the very earliest efforts that were made to 
fly. For the experimenters who were thus work- 



312 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

ing so painstakingly they had also a friendly 
regard. 

Thus the triumphs achieved by Frenchmen in 
the early stages of flight were regarded by 
Frenchmen generally as a tribute to the enter- 
prise of their country. It was, in a way, a per- 
sonal matter. Every Frenchman considered it 
his duty to encourage flying, because in flying 
France had taken so fine a lead. 

In England, on the contrary, living was fof 
a Very long time n<> more than a word. Fre- 
quent flights had been made in France bef< 
we fever saw an aeroplane in this country. The 
lead that France took in the question of airman- 
ship rather damped our ardor over here, I think. 
At any rate flying was not taken up in England 
with any amount of enthusiasm. 

I have even heard it said in this connection 
that flying as a project rather jarred upon the 
practical ideas of the people in England It was 
regarded as being more or less of a myth. It 
is true beyond question that the first people in 
this country a keen interest rn 

and tried to increase interest in it were I 
in a very cold way. One may say, in fact, tl 
flying had to be thrust upon us before we 
accept it. Latterly, it is true, England has d< 
much good work. 

Contrary to the English attitude was that i 
America. When I visited America in the latter 






AVIATION MEETINGS 313 

part of the summer of 1910, I was astonished 
to find the interest that was taken in all ques- 
tions of airmanship. Here, indeed, was quite a 
different attitude. People were not sceptical, but 
full of enthusiasm. Their enthusiasm took a 
very practical form. There were clubs, I found, 
everywhere, and societies, devoted to the further- 
ing of flight. 

It would be difficult to hazard a guess as to 
the number of people who have built aeroplanes 
in America. Every town, almost, has its flying 
man, and is proud of him. 

I remember quite well when the question arose 
of forming an aeronautical reserve, to be at- 
tached to the troops in America. This scheme 
was carried through with extraordinary rapidity. 
Instead of any official handicap or restriction 
being placed upon the idea, it was greeted with 
the greatest interest. 

This, I suppose, is typical of America. At any 
rate, it impressed me very greatly, and I thought 
how fortunate the inventor must be who first 
introduces an idea to the American people. 
Flying has gone ahead in America with very 
remarkable strides. It is treated like other things 
are treated in that wonderful country. If there 
is anything in it, and if the Americans them- 
selves decide there is something in it, it is pushed 
ahead with the greatest enthusiasm. 

If, in England, such enthusiasm had been 



314 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

evinced, flying to-day would be very much more 
advanced than is the case. The great complaint 
that has been voiced to me is the complaint of 
the inventor and home manufacturer, who has 
labored in vain to create interest in his work. It 
is curious, too, that even when flying has been 
demonstrated to English crowds there has not 
been so much enthusiasm as one would have 
imagined. In France, at the Rheims meeting, 
I remember the extraordinary enthusiasm of the 
people as one after another of the champions of 
the air passed by. Hats were thrown aloft, there 
were loud cheers. In some cases people wept in 
their enthusiasm. 

But when the aeroplane was first seen in Eng- 
land I remember studying the crowds very at- 
tentively. It seemed to me that the wonder of 
flying, this achievement of man's after centuries 
of striving, was not being properly realized. The 
people did not seem moved or thrilled by the 
spectacle. 

There seemed a lack of imagination on their 
part. This, I think, is due to the fact that people 
in England never thought that flying would ever 
be brought to such a practical use as has been 
the case. It is only such naturally enthusiastic 
people as the French who could strive against 
such great odds as they were striving against 
in trying to make a flying-machine. 

But one consolation to us, in reviewing this 






AVIATION MEETINGS 315 

attitude of England towards the aeroplane, is 
that, once interest is aroused, the science in this 
country will go ahead very surely and very 
thoroughly. That such interest is being aroused 
I firmly believe. Everything points to such being 
the case. And once England has put her shoul- 
der to the wheel, I am fully convinced that our 
leeway will be made up with astonishing rapidity. 






CHAPTER XVII 

RECOLLECTIONS OF THE FIRST RHEIMS MEETING 

It is interesting to go hack to the feats whi 
were performed at the rst Rheims flying carni- 
val. The men who flew then represented all 
that was best in connection with the in fancy of 
aviation. 

Let us take Paulhan, for example, who proved, 
at a later stage of his career, my successful oppo- 
nent in the great flight from London to Man- 
chester. Paulhan's flying was always wonderful. 
I remember that at Rheims he flew very high and 
very steadily, en one of the early-type Voisin 
machines. He was another man who was abso- 
lutely engrossed in the science of living. His 
judgment, like that of Farman, was exception- 
ally good. He flew, too, with the greatest care. 
He was the type of man who exercises all sorts 
of wise precautions without appearing at all too 
careful. After achieving many successes at the 
Rheims meeting, Paulhan traveled a great deal in 
order to exhibit his machine and his capabilities 
to different people. After flying for a long time 
with the Voisin machine, Paulhan decided to be- 

316 



FIRST RHEIMS MEETING 317 

come a pilot of the Farman biplane. It was upon 
a racing machine of this type that he performed 
his memorable flight from London to Manchester. 
At the present time Paulhan is doing a very use- 
ful thing. 

He has abandoned all flying, save tests to de- 
termine the value of new machines, and is devot- 
ing himself to serious constructional work. His 
aim is to produce a machine which shall be thor- 
oughly reliable and useful for military work. 
There is a great field in this direction, and Paul- 
han's ideas are quite original. The first machine 
which he turned out w r as regarded with unusual 
interest, and quite rightly so. It was a biplane 
made to take to pieces with exceptional facility, 
and one which also comprised the first application 
of a system of reducing the surface of the planes 
to obtain greater speed. 

One of the most picturesque figures at the great 
Rheims meeting was that of Hubert Latham. No 
pilot presented a more interesting study. He rep- 
resented the studious man who had become inter- 
ested in flying. His interest in it was profound. 
And it was not only the interest of the student, 
but the interest of the sportsman. Hubert La- 
tham is a complex study in this respect. He 
would not suggest a hunter of big game, or a man 
ready to take almost any risk. 

One would rather picture him as a student, 
fond of his books. As a matter of fact, no man 
who is flying to-day has a more splendid nerve 



3i8 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

or a completer disregard for personal safety. A 
great fascination has always surrounded the An- 
toinette Monoplane that Latham flies. This ma- 
chine is beyond doubt one of the most striking 
flying crafts in the world. It has widespread 
wings and possesses a picturesque suggestion both 
of speed and power. Although others have 
gained skill in handling this particular type of 
machine, it is a fact the Latham remains the 
champion of champions in steering it. Undoubt- 
edly the Antoinette requires exceptional dexterity 
in handling. Its original method of control, in 
which wheels are employed instead of levers, is 
mechanically most excellent, but it is a method 
which is somewhat difficult to learn. As a wind 
flyer, the Antoinette monoplane is almost unsur- 
passed, and Hubert Latham has achieved many 
remarkable feats in this field. 

He is, generally speaking, regarded with admi- 
ration by all other airmen. The reason for this i£ 
that they have the greatest respect for his care- 
less courage, also for his sportsmanlike behavior 
under all circumstances. Many times, since he 
began to fly, Latham has had accidents, but for- 
tunately no serious results have followed. Un- 
doubtedly the Antoinette monoplane represents 
a type of machine that is extremely safe. Its 
strength of construction, and the remarkably 
good position of the pilot behind its big wings, 
give him a great immunity from injury even 
should the machine be wrecked. In discussing the 



FIRST RHEIMS MEETING 319 

Antoinette one must not forget a reference to its 
constructor. M. Levavasseur is one of the most 
conspicuous figures in the aviation world of 
France. He is a dreamer, and yet at the same 
time an extraordinarily practical man. 

Leblanc, who flew so well at Rheims, has since 
become a great pilot. He is now one of the best 
known flyers of the Bleriot monoplane. Helping 
him to achieve success as a pilot, was undoubtedly 
his previous ballooning experiences. He has spe- 
cialized lately in flying the racing monoplanes, 
which have been designed by M. Bleriot, his great 
friend. With one of these machines he made a 
splendid flight for the Gordon Bennett Cup of 
19 10, which I managed to win in America. What 
brought M. Leblanc to disaster, in this contest, 
was the fact that his petrol tank ran dry. 

We will now discuss Rougier, another of the 
pioneers who first came into prominence at the 
great Rheims meeting. Rougier had been a fa- 
mous racing motorist. In appearance he is alert- 
ness personified. At Rheims he was seen as a 
pilot on a Voisin biplane. During the memorable 
week he achieved a number of extraordinarily 
good flights. 

Subsequently, touring in the South of France, 
he achieved a number of excellent performances. 
Then he met with an accident that turned out to 
be very serious. While at Nice he was flying 
over the water. Suddenly, from a reason never 



320 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

satisfactorily explained, his biplane fell sheer into 
the sea. Although the pilot was not seriously in- 
jured he sustained a shock which incapacitated 
him for a long time. Recently M. Reugier has 
embarked upon constructional work. 

Another famous pilot at the Rheims meeting 
was Mr. Glenn H. Curtiss, who, with a biplane of 
remarkable lightness, was able to win the Gordon- 
Bennett speed race for America. ( )ne of the most 
noticeable things about Mr. Curtiss was his 
American coolness. He and his mechanics did 
just what was necessary, and no more. His ma- 
chine, like the way it was handled, was extraordi- 
narily neat. Since these early days, Mr. Curtiss 
has devoted himself very seriously to the improve- 
ment of the machine. 

It is interesting, in this connection, to call at- 
tention to the gradual rise of the monoplane 
school of construction. It was not until after 
Bleriot and Latham had been making their flights 
for the Daily Mail £1000 prize for the crossr 
Channel flight, that the monoplane came into any 
prominence. 

To compare the monoplane and biplane is a 
rather difficult task. Both machines are excellent 
in their own way. First, I will touch upon the ad- 
vantages of the biplane. Primarily the feature 
of this machine is the strength of its construc- 
tion. In the second place, it is easy to control. I n 
the third place, it has a natural stability which is 



FIRST RHEIMS MEETING 321 

quite a feature of this type of machine. One of 
the reasons why it is popular, I have no doubt, is 
the fact that it is easy to fly. 

The disadvantages of the biplane may be easily 
stated. First of all, it is a machine that has come 
to be regarded as being slow flying. It presents 
awkward features also as regards its size. Many 
pilots do not regard it as an ideal machine for 
flying in w r inds. 

The advantages of the monoplane are many. 
The reason that it has become so popular recently 
is that pilots have chosen it on account of its 
speed. A great many of the prizes offered re- 
cently in flying have been given to a machine per- 
forming a certain distance in the quickest time. 
For any such feats as this the monoplane is infi- 
nitely superior to the biplane. Large prizes have 
also been given for high flying. Here again, 
ow 7 ing to its engine power, the monoplane has 
easily surpassed the biplane. Chiefly as a speed 
machine the monoplane has exceeded in popular- 
ity the biplane. It has also other advantages, and 
notable amongst them is the fact that it can be 
transported with great ease. This question of 
transport gives to the monoplane a distinct im- 
portance from the military point of view. Gen- 
erally speaking, in the opinion of the greatest 
thinkers on the subject of aviation, the future of 
flight lies with the monoplane purely on account 
of its speed and its convenient size. 



CHAPTER XVIII 

LEGAL PROBLEMS AFFECTING AVIATION 

One of the most interesting aspects of flying 
is that which concerns the laws which will have 
to be framed, sooner or later, for governing the 
passage of aeroplanes from point to point. A 
great deal has already been written on this sub- 
ject. Several important conferences have also 
been held at which many interesting opinions 
have been voiced, but in the main the question of 
governing aerial traffic will have to be left, more 
or less, to be settled when the art of flying has 
more fully developed. 

A great many of the problems which arise are 
entirely new, and are very difficult to come to a 
decision about. It is a case of considering a great 
many things that may arise without anything 
very definite having happened to give any one a 
guide. Legal problems affecting flying have in- 
deed been very few and far between. In my own 
case, I remember only one instance of any legal 
question coming up as regards the actual flying 
of a machine, and apart from any trouble arising, 
in a purely technical way, between makers and 



PROBLEMS AFFECTING AVIATION 323 

flyers, or between flyers and the promoters of a 
meeting. 

The case I refer to happened at Blackpool dur- 
ing the flying meeting held in August, 1910. 
There was, it appeared, a woman with her hus- 
band, sitting in a carriage outside the flying 
ground. The lady wore a very valuable coat. 
"While they were sitting watching the flying, one 
of the, pilots passed out beyond the aerodrome and 
flew directly over the carriage. As he did so a 
small quantity of oil fell from his machine and 
unfortunately alighted upon the lady's coat. 

Her indignation, naturally, was very great. 
There was at once talk of claims being made 
against the promoters of the meeting, and also 
against the flyer whose machine had dropped the 
oil. But the claimants, in this case, found some 
difficulty in getting ahead with any proposed 
action. To begin with, seeing that the carriage 
was not inside the flying ground, but was stand- 
ing on a public road some distance away from it, 
the case proposed against the aviation company 
fell to the ground. The difficulty of bringing a 
case against the flyer, whose machine had dropped 
the oil, was a very real one. Xo one, least of all 
the lady whose coat was injured, knew which 
flyer it was who had passed high overhead, and 
dropped the oil. Several pilots were in the air on 
this afternoon, and several were flying machines 
of the same type. 



324 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

I heard no more of this action after leaving 
Blackpool, and I feel pretty convinced that, on 
account of the difficulties I have named, nothing 
more was done with it. One of the most interest- 
ing questions, as regard the law and the aero- 
plane, is the fundamental one of whether any one 
piloting an aeroplane has the right to fly over any- 
body else's property. The many opponents of the 
aeroplane, mostly conservative people, who do 
not relish its development, argue that an aero- 
planist has no right at all to pilot his machine 
above the land of some one who objects to his 
presence. 

The question which arises is, Can the aero- 
planist be stopped? Here one gets into a regular 
legal labyrinth. All sorts of people hold all sorts 
of views, and there will be no real satisfaction 
until the question is brought up by some actual 
case coming forward. Then, and not until then, 
we shall have a sensible pronouncement on the 
subject. 

What is often quoted is old Roman law. This 
old Roman law, obviously framed before anybody 
had any idea of the coming of the aeroplane, gives 
a man the right to own the air above his particular 
property, as well as the property itself. On this 
reasoning of course the slice of air, so to speak, 
which extends upwards from any back garden, 
belongs to the owiier of that garden, with the 
result that unless the owner wishes it no aero- 



PROBLEMS AFFECTING AVIATION 325 

plane can pass over it. Such a view, however, is 
of course not likely to be upheld. That is to say, 
it will not be upheld in its full force. Were any 
cantankerous person to have the power to prevent 
aeroplanes passing over his land, at however great 
an altitude, and with however great an absence 
of anything in the form of a nuisance, the devel- 
opment of flying would be very seriously ham- 
pered. A good many cases have been mentioned 
to me in which people might have a grievance 
because an aeroplane flew over their property. 

In one instance cited to me, the case was taken 
of the owner of a very large game preserve, 
whose birds might be frightened by the whirring 
of an aeroplane engine passing overhead. And 
I have heard other arguments of a somewhat 
similar kind. But all these points will naturally 
have to be argued out by a perfectly impartial 
tribunal. It is clear that any arrangement that 
is come to, regarding the laws of the air, will 
need to be international in character. It will be 
no good for one country to have a series of laws, 
and for the law 7 s of a country next door to differ 
from them. 

A very good move in this direction was made 
some months ago when a number of skilled ar- 
guers met in Paris as representing the chief 
countries of Europe. I remember that England 
was represented by several gentlemen from the 
Home Office. What this conference had to do, 



326 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLAXE 

was not to make any drastic decisions, but to dis- 
cuss, generally and tentatively, the vast problems 
which the growth of aviation have brought for- 
ward. This conference, like all conferences of 
such a nature, sat for a long time and apparently 
did very little. 

But it would be unfair to say, as a matter 
fact, that very little was done. A good deal was 
done. All sorts of intricate questions were d 
cussed from all joints of view. Very valuable 
memoranda were drawn up, and then the confer- 
ence was postponed. Pioneer work of this kind, 
even though it may lead to no definite results at 
the time, gives any conference that follows it a 
great deal of highly valuable material to work 
upon. The chief questions which provoked dis- 
cussion at this conference were, I learned after- 
wards, those affecting the international control 
of aeroplane traffic. 

As flying develops, as the number of aero- 
planes grows, and as long (lights become more 
and more common, it will indeed be an en< r- 
mously important question which is opened up, 
as to the control exercised over a machine pa 
ing from one country to another. 

To return for a moment to the question of 1 
the traffic of aeroplanes over private land is to 
be regulated. This is an easy point, and one that 
is likely to arise, before we are greatly concerned 
with problems affecting international traffic. 



PROBLEMS AFFECTIXG AVIATION 327 

How will a compromise be arrived at? for it 
is really something in the nature of a compro- 
mise which will have to come. It will never do 
for an airman to be prohibited, absolutely and 
without question, from flying over any particular 
piece of land. At the same time, it will certainly 
ot be politic for no restrictions whatever to be 
nposed upon the aeroplane passing from point 
:> point. In the early days of motoring I re- 
lember we were greatly troubled with a dread- 
tl person who was known as the " road-hog." 
his individual made himself so generally un- 
"asant that self-respecting motorists were glad 
hen legislation stepped in, and he was severely 
mdled. 

Although one does not yet foresee the advent of 
le " air hog/' there is little doubt but that some 
::fliction of this nature will eventually be im- 
posed upon us. Even apart from precautionary 
measures, against careless and unthinking flyers, 
it will be imperative that the people on the land 
should be safeguarded from anything in the 
lature of oppression. 

As things stand at present, flying is a thing 
that touches the imagination of nearly every- 
body. There is the friendliest possible feeling 
cowards airmen, and the hope is very gener- 
ally and honestly expressed, that aviation may 
progress rapidly and become of general use to 
mankind. This feeling has come about in a very 



328 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

natural way, and it is a useful feeling to have in- 
culcated into the public mind at this early stage. 

There is all the difference in the world between 
having public opinion on your side or against 
you. So far flying men have had every right to 
expect that the sympathy of the world should be 
with them. They have worked extraordinarily 
hard. They have risked their lives daily, and 
many of them have spent large sums of money 
in the cause they have taken up. And what has 
been their object? They have merely been striv- 
ing to perfect a science which, apart from their 
own personal triumph, will be of inestimable use 
to mankind, should ultimate success come. 

This, as I have said, is a very nice feeling to 
have established between the public and the flying 
community. But it is very easy — almost fatally 
easy — for a good impression like this to be dis- 
pelled. This is why sound and wise legislation 
is so necessary, at a fairly early stage, in the 
serious development of the flying movement. 
One or two bad disasters, in which large numbers 
of the public might be involved in serious injury, 
would turn sympathy, on the part of a large mass 
of people, into resentment. 

And such accidents, when flying becomes com- 
mon, may very easily take place unless the great- 
est precautions are taken as regards the flying 
of machines. I do not mean for a moment that 
anything in the nature of repressive legislation 



PROBLEMS AFFECTING AVIATION 329 

should be advocated. Far from It. Many in- 
dustries have been seriously hampered by having 
a great many restrictions imposed upon them. 

What I wish to see is a practical form of flying 
code to safeguard not only the public but the 
men who fly. And in the compilation of any rules 
of the air I would suggest that practical airmen, 
as well as the ruling bodies of flying, and legal 
luminaries, should be called upon to discuss what 
is best to be done. 

Regarding any troublesome person who might 
try to prevent any aeroplanes flying over his land, 
a friend of mine remarked the other day: "It 
would be all very well for such a person to make 
up his mind to prevent flying over his property, 
but how is he going to exercise this right? Im- 
agine an aeroplane passing over him at a height 
of two or three thousand feet and traveling at a 
speed of perhaps 80 or 85 miles an hour. How 
would he manage, either to have this flying ma- 
chine stopped, or having failed to stop it, how 
is he going to bring the offending pilot to book? '' 

There are of course many very interesting 
problems of this nature which await decision. 
It is scarcely likely that problems affecting flying 
will be speedily solved. For one thing the air is 
an entirely new medium for human travel. All 
the laws regarding it will have to be framed from 
a new point of view. Legal opinion will have a 
very fruitful field for endless discussion. I have 



330 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

been amused on more than one occasion lately, 
to find with what avidity some lawyers have al- 
ready prepared themselves for the advent of 
aerial disputes. They evidently think that there 
is going to be a great deal of profitable business 
attached to disputes and squabbles concerning 
aerial traffic. 

And I have no doubt, myself, that a great deal 
of time and money will be wasted before we have 
what one might call a working code, to legalize 
the passage of flying machines from point to 
point. For one thing, I feel pretty sure that 
the argumentative person who seeks to keep all 
flying machines from passing over his land will 
have difficulty in having this view upheld. What 
is very likely, I imagine, is that a sensible sort of 
compromise will be arrived at in this respect. 

What the organizations interesting themselves 
in airmanship will have to prepare for is a cam- 
paign against oppression on the part of those 
who think that it is dangerous to fly, and a wicked 
thing to open up the air as a new method of 
transit. 

I think I can now turn from this subject to one 
which is more interesting. I refer to the move- 
ment, that has already been discussed, to estab- 
lish regular " airways " for the convenience and 
control of aerial traffic. 

The " airway " is designed with the purpose 
of providing one fixed and regular route, by 



PROBLEMS AFFECTING AVIATION 331 

which aeroplanes and airships may pass, say, be- 
tween two important towns. This question of 
an " airway " came up at the conference in Paris, 
to which I have already referred. Here practical 
authorities gave their opinions respecting it, and 
it was decided that the whole question should 
come up again at a further meeting. 

The idea which lies behind the suggestion of 
an airway is fundamentally a very sound one. 
The scheme for having an airway would sim- 
plify, very greatly, the marking of the route be- 
tween any two towns. In this connection there 
is very little doubt but that such marking will be 
done. I hope to make reference to this later on. 
The idea of the " airway " comes in, of course, 
in arranging a route, say, from London to Man- 
chester. In choosing the route it might be pos- 
sible, and probably would be possible, to arrange 
it over country best suited for flying. 

A point that was raised at the international 
conference, in this connection, w r as that an " air- 
way " should be laid down partly with the view of 
carrying the aerial traffic over parts of the coun- 
try upon which least damage would be done, 
should an aeroplane be compelled to make an 
involuntary descent. This certainly struck a 
good many people who heard it as a reasonable 
point of view. As a matter of fact, there is little 
doubt but that the policy which has already been 
laid down, of discouraging flying over towns, will 
be maintained in the future. 



332 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

Therefore, in drawing up an "airway/' say 
from London to Manchester, it will no doubt be 
deemed necessary to divert it, when possible, so 
that it does not cause the air traffic to pass over 
towns en route. Of course there will be a o- re at 
deal of flying, for short distances, across country. 
For such short flights no fixed airways would 
be necessary, or indeed practical. 

In such a case, without doubt, restrictions will 
be imposed upon the pilot as to his method of 
flying. He will, for example, he required to 
maintain a certain altitude, and he will also, with- 
out question, be told to avoid passing over any 
congested neighborhoods. By carrying out such 
precautions as this there is no doubt that a great 
deal of the risk of flying could be obviated. Of 
course it must be realized that in a very short 
time there is a great deal of flying to be done. 

People have not yet accustomed themselves to 
the idea that before more than another year or 
so has passed aeroplanes will be passing overhead 
as quite an ordinary occurrence of every-day life. 

One of the most interesting and at the same 
time most difficult legal problems, in connection 
with this rapid growth in the number of air craft, 
will be that effecting compulsory descents. There 
is little doubt but that, when a large number of 
machines are passing from point to point, a fairly 
appreciable percentage of them will have to make 



PROBLEMS AFFECTING AVIATION 333 

landings at any unexpected place, owing to me- 
chanical troubles. 

The point naturally arises as to what damage 
will be done by these compulsory descents. This 
point was, I remember, discussed very seriously, 
some time ago, by committees of the aero clubs 
of various countries. It seemed to be held then 
that the only way out of this difficulty was for a 
fee to be settled, which an airman, descending 
unexpectedly upon any piece of land, should pay 
the owner of that piece of land. Of course this 
idea is merely given in its bald outline. 

That something of the kind will have to be 
done there is little doubt. Frequently, I imagine, 
it will not be the actual descent of a machine upon 
a piece of land, which will be the cause of dam- 
age, but the trampling on the land by people who 
come to see the machine, and probably the taking 
to pieces of the machine before it can be removed 
from some bad landing point. There is, of 
course, a precedent in this respect in connection 
with ballooning. 

Here you have frequently the case of a balloon 
descending upon a farmer's crop. It may be that, 
in doing so, the balloon itself does not do any very 
great damage. But before the balloon is removed 
from the field it falls in, and before the crowds 
can be prevented from swarming over the fields 
near by to see the unusual sight, a considerable 
amount of damage has been done. 



334 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

In such a case it is generally a matter of ar- 
rangement between the farmer and the balloon- 
ing party. It has never been considered neces- 
sary to have any special understanding in this 
respect, seeing that such contingencies have not 
occurred with sufficient frequency. 

But with the aeroplane it will be quite a differ- 
ent thing. Involuntary descents will be made 
very frequently, and there will, without doubt, 
be all sorts of claims for damages cropping up. 
Thus a perfectly clear scale will have to be drawn 
up, and adhered to with legal severity. ( )f course 
there will be the two points of view to consider. 
The airman must be safeguarded against im- 
proper charges, and the landowner or individual 
w r ill have to be safeguarded also against not ob- 
taining proper recompense for any damage done 
to his property. But above all such minor points 
as this looms the question of how aerial traffic 
is to be regulated, as it passes between countries. 

Here indeed is a problem which will require 
the most careful study before it can be solved. 
So far, in the more or less impromptu discussions 
which have taken place regarding it, the fringe 
of the subject has only been touched upon. One 
of the most debatable phases of the new air traffic 
will be the method employed by the customs, on 
the various frontiers, in maintaining their con- 
trol over the incoming and outgoing craft. Here, 
it is generally held, the " airway " will play its 



PROBLEMS AFFECTING AVIATION 335 

part in helping to solve the question. From one 
country to another there will, it is generally 
agreed, be but one air path. 

Airships going from the capital of one country 
to the capital of another, will pass along a speci- 
fied international air route, and will, in particu- 
lar, be called upon to cross the frontier at a pre- 
cisely indicated spot. This will, of course, facili- 
tate the customs in the collection of their dues. 

Without doubt, however, should ingenious 
wrongdoers decide to exploit the aeroplane for 
this purpose, a great deal of smuggling will be 
possible, in what one might call the early days of 
the commercial development of the aeroplane. 
By having " airways " between countries, and 
especially by having regular air " controls " at 
frontiers, it seems probable that Government 
police and customs will be able to keep a check 
upon the number of machines passing in and out 
of their country. 

Of course one of the chief dangers which gov- 
ernments will seek to guard against is the danger 
of a foreign aeroplane passing unobserved over 
their frontier on a spying expedition. This will 
be obviated, no doubt, by having all frontiers 
patrolled regularly by protecting aircraft, which 
will have the express duty of preventing all 
strange craft from passing into the country. In 
order to keep close track of all aeroplanes in vari- 
ous countries it was sup"eested at the recent con- 



336 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

ference in Paris that each country should ex- 
change a list of aeroplanes, very carefully made 
up, and corrected from time to time. 

In this way it was thought each country would 
know what was approximately the extent of the 
world's air fleet. Apart from such a question as 
this, howjever, it will doubtless be necessary to 
number, carefully and completely, all aircraft that 
are in existence as soon as the numbers reach any- 
thing like an appreciable total. In this respect 
many suggestions have already been made. It i^ 
held, in the first instance, that there should be a 
clear and definite distinction between private 
aeroplanes, public craft, and military machines. 
This can easily be done by numbering each type 
of airship or aeroplane in a distinctive way. 
Apart from the question of what particular air- 
ship or aeroplane is in question there will come 
the point as to what nationality the craft belongs 
to. Here, again, some distinctive token will have 
to be selected. It will be sufficient, I imagine, for 
an aeroplane to exhibit a flag of its country. 
Apart from questions of nationality and charac- 
ter, the aeroplane will need to be licensed for iden- 
tification purposes, in the same way as a motor 
car is licensed to-day. But there will be a more 
difficult question, in this regard, than the mere 
numbering of the machines. The point that will 
arise is whether or not the number the machine 
bears will be visible from below. This problem 



PROBLEMS AFFECTING AVIATION 337 

has been argued in all its aspects more than once. 
With an aeroplane as at present constructed it is 
no easy matter to fix upon it a number which can 
be seen readily from the ground when the aero- 
plane is passing at a good speed overhead. 

One of the most important aspects of flying, 
in its immediate future, is the way in which it is 
to be controlled by the bodies in various countries 
which have supreme authority placed in their 
hands. It is necessary, in order to understand 
how flying is governed, to make a reference to 
the supreme body or council which, through ac- 
credited representatives, has absolute authority. 

The body with these great powers is the Inter- 
national Aeronautical Federation. It is a feder- 
ation composed of representatives of the Aero 
clubs of all countries. These clubs elect so many 
members to represent them at the meetings of the 
Federation. Here various ideas are discussed 
and many important decisions made. The Fed- 
eration, apart from its powers in deciding all 
questions that arise, grants to aviators, through 
the clubs in each country, the certificate which, 
after a certain number 6f flights, is given to a 
pilot as an indication of his proficiency. 

All great contests and aeroplane events of a 
sporting character are held under the control of 
the Federation, which draws up the rules for 
them. As an instance, I may mention the Gordon- 
Bennett International Speed race. In 1910 this 



338 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLA 

was held under the auspices of the Federation in 
America. As the result of my winning- it, it is to 
be held this year in England. A committee of the 
Royal Aero Club of the United Kingdom > 
after my victory, appointed to prepare plans for 
the contest, and to select a suitable ground. 

This method of 
proved quite practicable. The importance of such 
work cannot ized. 

autocratic and ill-advised conl do 

any growi unt of ha 

It is instructive to the change thai 

place in the character of the flying events from 
year to year. In 1910, for example, the pro- 
gramme of the year was mainly comprised of 
meetings and spectacular demonstra of 

flight. These, in view of the si age of p >s in 

which they came, were extremely useful. E. 
of them played its part in educating the public to 
the importance of flying. 

This year, however, a new spirit is prevailing. 
From the spectacular we find we are turning to 
the practical. This is a very necessary and useful 
change of ideas. The aeroplane has progressed 
so rapidly that what it needs now is that every 
possible encouragement shall be given to develop 
aspects which will help forward the commercial 
side of the movement. 

Aerodrome flying, which was the feature of 
19 10, was interesting. It also gave large numbers 



PROBLEMS AFFECTING AVIATION 339 

of people an opportunity of seeing aircraft in 
flight. But what is now needed is encouragement 
of cross-country flying. To this end one sees that 
the majority of the contests of 191 1 are tending. 
Cross-country flying is, indeed, far more valuable 
at this stage of the industry than flying round and 
round an aerodrome. Had the policy of continu- 
ing to stimulate aerodrome flying been carried 
out during 191 1 it would have the effect of evolv- 
ing something in the nature of a freak machine. 
Towards the end of 19 10 most of the flying at 
meetings was in the nature of speed racing. To 
produce these speed machines, makers fixed big 
engines to very small-winged monoplanes. This 
type of construction can be carried to great ex- 
tremes, providing manufacturers have one thing 
in their favor. High-speed machines, unless pro- 
vided with a means of varying their pace, can 
only be operated on aerodromes where they have 
a perfectly smooth landing-ground. Thus it will 
be seen that, had this aerodrome flying been con- 
tinued, machines would have developed which 
would have been useless for any other purpose 
save for racing under artificial conditions. What 
cross-country flying will do, however, is some- 
thing quite different. In most of the events of 
191 1 it will be seen that speed still plays a most 
important part. But, owing to the fact that the 
contests are to be decided across country, and not 
round and round an aerodrome, quite a new set 



340 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

of conditions are imposed upon the makers of the 
machines which will take part in them. 

Not only will the machines have to fly fast, 
but they w r ill also have to make descents, if neces- 
sary, on grounds which are not smooth. They 
will have to land in fields, and perhaps on any 
sort of open space that presents itself. This 
means that any frail, specially-light racing ma- 
chine would not be strong enough to stand the 
shock when coming into contact with anything 
like rough ground Therefore, makers arc busy 
with a type of machine which is far more prac- 
tical in character than any freak speed machine 
destined for the track and nothing el 

It is probable, indeed, that the contests for [91 1 
will have an enormously important effect upon the 
future of the industry. What is to be built is a 
strong machine, and at the same time a fast ma- 
chine, and above all a reliable machine. 

Three more useful features than this could not 
very well be combined in one machine. It is al- 
ready quite clear that the Aero Clubs of the vari- 
ous countries will have an extremely arduous fly- 
ing season during 191 1. Not only in numbers, 
but in importance, and in the difficulty of the tech- 
nical questions raised by their rules, will the flying 
events of this year be memorable. If one looks 
through a list of the various events that are down 
for decision, one is struck by the amazing advance 
in flying which the majority of them indicate. 



PROBLEMS AFFECTING AVIATION 341 

In the summer of 1909, when the first Rheims 
meeting was held, it was considered a wonderful 
without coming down round and round an aero- 
drome. For it to do this the weather had, of 
thing for an aeroplane to fly a good many times 
course, to be perfect. And now one of the prin- 
cipal events for 191 1 is, I see, an aerial tour of 
some of the capitals of Europe. This contest has 
been seriously drawn up, and will be seriously 
undertaken by a large number of pilots. 

I do not think one could have any more striking 
illustration of the progress that has been made in 
a period of only two years. It is interesting to 
consider the effect upon public opinion of such 
prizes we are to compete for during this year. 
What they will emphasize is the growing practi- 
cability of the aeroplane, and this, without ques- 
tion, is the point that needs being emphasized. 

The whole aim of builders now is to construct 
an aeroplane which shall be entirely practical in 
all its features. In England, during the year, 
apart from the Gordon-Bennett speed race, the 
outstanding feature will be the Daily Mail 
£ 10,000 prize for an aerial tour of Great Britain. 
The effect of this contest, both upon construction 
in England and also upon the interest of the 
people of the country in flying, will be remarkable. 

Already special machines are being built to take 
part in the race. Already, also, in the towns 
throughout the country which will be visited by 



342 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

the airmen local committees are being organized 
to arrange about the landing grounds. Local 
prize funds are, also, being formed, so that spe- 
cial awards may be made to the competitors for 
meritorious feats performed while en route. 

The most popular of these local awards seems 
to be that for the fastest time made while upon 
any particular stage of the race. Thus, as die 
time for the race draws near, the whole of Eng- 
land will be interested in it. There is not: 
better, either, than for people actually to se 
flying machine. This has had a more stimulating 
effect upon them than any amount of literature 
on the subject of flight. The reason, or at le 
one of them, why France is so enthusiastic about 
flying is that the people of France are thoroughly 
accustomed to seeing aeroplanes in all stages of 
development. 



CHAPTER XIX 

THE FUTURE OF AVIATION 

In talking of the future of flying, a subject 
that one naturally comes to when one approaches 
the end of such a book as this, I am reminded 
of the remark that was made to me not long ago 
by a very famous man indeed. After listening 
to what I had to say about the things we had 
already done, he said, " Aviation, indeed, fore- 
shadows developments that are amazing. Who 
knows where it may lead ? " 

That summarizes, to a great extent, my own 
feelings. Where will it lead? One can, as a 
matter of fact, only speculate. But it is pos- 
sible, I suppose, to do a little more than this, 
when one takes into consideration what has been 
done and what is being done. From this point 
of view one is entitled, I should think, to say 
something about what may be done. 

I was immensely struck, not so long ago, by 
a prophecy which was written by a journalist 
who had had unusual opportunities of studying 
the aeroplane. This was his glance into the 
future. 

343 



344 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

"Now we will imagine that we are in 1920! 
We see a strange aero station on a bleak stretch 
of sea-shore. Resting motionless, with her bow 
pointed seawards, is a great, slim aerial craft — 
a veritable cruiser of the clouds. She reminds 
one irresistibly of the lines of the beautiful craft 
piloted by Hubert Latham across the Channel, 
and also at Rheims and in England. But she is 
infinitely greater and more powerful. Between 
her two wide-spread, supporting wings is a lo 
tapering bod}-. This is like the hull of a ship. 
One can see that there are windows along it; 
it is evidently divided up into cabins and sepa- 
rate decks. And along the top of the graceful 
hull is a deck with railings around it. People, 
one notes, are moving about upon this deck. 
Gangways run on to the body of the airship 
from two wide platforms on either side of it. 
On the fore part of the ship is a raised struc- 
ture, sloped over to offer a minimum of resist- 
ance to the wind. In it, moving quietly behind 
outlook windows, are several men in uniform — 
evidently the captain i)i the airship and his offi- 
cers. A long train comes glidkig to the side of 
the aero station. Immediately there is a tumult 
of embarkation upon the airship; then hells 
clang. The people disappear below from the 
deck of the aerial vessel. One after anothe 
series of propellers at the airship's bow be 
to hum with lightning-like speed. There is the 



THE FUTURE OF AVIATION 345 

roar of machinery from the interior of her hull. 
She glides rapidly down a long, wide slipway 
which stretches seaw r ards. The body of the 
cruiser one can now see is supported on little 
trolleys which run on guiding rails. For a hun- 
dred yards or more, heading seawards, the aerial 
vessel speeds along its slipway. Then, with a 
swift, sure rise, she is aloft. The humming pro- 
pellers whirl more swiftly. The ocean-going 
aeroplane heads out to sea. It is at a two-hun- 
dred-mile-an-hour speed that she darts from 
England to America. Rushing unflaggingly 
through the air, thousands of feet high, she will 
have crossed the wide Atlantic in less than 20 
hours. And to-day we speculate when a great 
liner brings us within 4^2 days of Xew York." 

This, I need hardly say, is a journalist's view. 
It is the view of one who jumps to an ideal, 
conveniently skipping over the intervening diffi- 
culties. Will such a day as he pictures come? 

If you asked any man who has studied flying 
at all closely, he would answer " Yes." Then, if 
you ask him, in addition, the question "When 
shall we see such an air-liner as is described 
here?" his reply, if he were perfectly truthful 
with you, would be, " I do not know." 

It is, indeed, a fact that nobody knows how 
soon it will be before flying becomes of com- 
mercial use. It is generally the unexpected that 
happens in regard to the air. Take, for ex- 



346 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

ample, the beginnings of flight. After men had 
been striving for centuries to produce a heavier- 
than-air machine that would actually fly, the 
magic secret was obtained with dramatic 
suddenness. 

It was all a question of power, and when a 
suitable power was to hand men found no diffi- 
culty in flying. There was no mystery about it. 
It simply meant that what was wanted was a 
propulsive force as light, and ;■ powerful, 

as the petrol motor. And so, when people arc 
apt to pooh-pooh the possibility of the ocean 
being crossed at very high speed by aeroplanes, 
the best tiling to do is to refer them to the as- 
tonishing stride which Hying made directly the 
right motive-power was to hand. 

It only requires some equally important stride 
to be made in the future for the construction 
of large air-lines to be an accomplished fact. I 
do not think we need calculate that the petrol 
motor, excellent as it is, represents the last word 
in the propulsion of flying-machines. 

All sorts of experiments with new types of 
internal combustion engines are constantly being 
made. I should not be at all surprised, any day, 
to find that an engine had been discovered which 
was infinitely more powerful than the petrol 
motor, and yet at the same time much lighter. 
Were such an engine procurable, the whole as- 
pect of flying would, of course, be revolution- 



THE FUTURE OF AVIATION 347 

ized. Far stranger things than this have hap- 
pened. I feel quite sure that, before we have 
heard the last words on the subject of flying, 
some quite new motive power will be employed. 
Were it so, there would be no very great im- 
agination needed to see the day coming which 
my journalistic friend pictures in the extract 
which I make herewith from one of his 
prophecies : 

" An electric train bears us a few miles out 
from the congestion of London. We mount high 
upon a strange structure; it is an aero-express 
station. Here upon the beginning of a straight 
slipway lies another aerial craft. She is of the 
same type as the first one, only less capacious. 
" London to Manchester " — the destination of 
the airship is indicated by an electric sign. 
Business men come hurrying up; the fare is 
high, but the airship's luxuriously-equipped cabins 
are thronged before she glides out into the air 
and darts away — again at an amazing pace. 
Speeding high over town and country, the air- 
ship swoops down, and comes to rest at another 
aerial station upon the outskirts of Manchester. 
The business men glance at their watches with 
satisfaction. The aerial journey has been made 
in several minutes less than an hour. To-day 
we pride ourselves mightily upon speeding be- 
tween the two great cities by express train in 
three hours and a half. Dotted around the 



348 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

metropolis lie other aero-stations. Liverpool 
has also been brought within an hour's jour- 
ney. Glasgow is now only two hours from 
London ! " 

Many problems are, of course, involved before 
any such machine as has been described above 
can become an accomplished fact. Apart from 
the question of the engine, there are many other 
important considerations involved. There is the 
very vital one of how the machine shall rise 
and land again. This may, perhaps, be arranged 
in the method that has been described in the 
quotation I have made above. Then there is the 
very significant question of how the engine power 
is to be transmitted. With present-type propel- 
lers a great deal still remains to be done. Their 
efficiency is not yet what their makers would 
desire it to be. 

So far, the only method of construction em- 
ployed in aeroplanes has been that of wood, can- 
vas, and wife. Metal has been tentatively tried, 
but, for many reasons, it has not been a success. 
The principal reason is that makers of aero- 
planes have not had at their disposal the neces- 
sary power to make proper use of it. 

Metal construction will, without doubt, be 
heard a great deal of in the future. In fact, if 
greater speeds are to be attained, and that is the 
whole object which makers have now in view, 
it is essential that metal should play its part in 
the. building of machines. 



THE FUTURE OF AVIATION 349 

When speeds of a hundred miles an hour come 
into question, it is a fact that wood and fabric 
will not be equal to the strain imposed upon 
them. Therefore, although men who predicted 
the use of metal for aeroplanes were made great 
fun of a year or so ago, it appears pretty evi- 
dent that their prophecy will become true. It 
all resolves itself, again, into a question of power. 
Given an engine which will provide him with 
a great amount of power for a very little weight, 
the maker of an aeroplane can do wonders. At 
present, with engines of 50 and 100 horse-power 
at his disposal, the constructor has a limited field 
for his advancement. He can, it is true, make 
very definite strides forwards as regards increas- 
ing the speed of a machine. He can also make 
it very much stronger than it was when the 
power given him was less. He can even embark 
upon the construction of a machine to carry 
four people, but beyond what one might call these 
modest efforts he finds his field of progress very 
restricted. 

As a very well-known expert said to me the 
other day apropos this question of the future 
of flying: "We are now, I think, in the hands 
of. the builders of engines and the makers of 
propellers. The future is with them. If the 
makers of engines can produce one of a very 
much greater power, and if the makers of pro- 
pellers can produce a propeller which will make 



350 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

effective use of the greater power given, then 
there is no reason why one should not increase 
the size of machines almost to an unlimited 
extent/' 

But, even at the present time, when we are, 
so to speak, on the threshold of the possibilities 
of the aeroplane, we arc very near the realiza- 
tion of such a scene as is depicted below, and 
which is supposed to represent what happens in 
the year 1920! 

'We see a country house in a well-wooded 
park. A man in a big coat, wearing a fur cap, 
steps through some doors upon a terrace, 1 
a lawn, and walks towards what appears to be 
an elongated motor-car garage. Two women, 
Warmly clack are with him. The doors of the 
building are opened. Out glides, under the per- 
suasion of a leather-clad chauffeur and two as- 
sistants, another and still lighter type of the 
slim-winged bird. There are seats below it. 
Out upon a drive, at the side of the mansion, 
the machine is wheeled. The man and the two 
women take their seats, the women with uncon- 
cerned laughter. They muffle themselves snugly 
with rugs. There is again the unmistakable 
whir of powerful machinery. At the front of 
the machine a propeller flickers with immense 
speed until it is lost to sight. The aerial chauf- 
feur steps nimbly upon a seat at the rear. With 
a swift, crunching run across the gravel drive 



THE FUTURE OF AVIATION 351 

the machine is in the air. It speeds across 
country, swiftly and surely, passing over hill 
and dale until another fine country-house looms 
in sight below. Then it dips — dips down 
sharply. It touches ground and rolls up an- 
other drive. It pauses at a fine portal. Out 
down the steps runs a merry party. The three 
visitors, breathless and exhilarated, are escorted 
into the oak-paneled hall. Tea is served! An 
afternoon call by aeroplane is now an accom- 
plished fact." 

How rapidly the aeroplane has progressed is, 
indeed, indicated by this quotation I have made 
above. This incident is not supposed to happen 
until the year 1920. As a matter of fact, both 
Latham and Santos-Dumont anticipated it last 
year. Mr. Latham made several calls at the 
houses of friends in his monoplane, and Mr. 
Santos-Dumont surprised some friends in a 
country-house by arriving through the air to 
pay them an afternoon call. 

If the prophecies of enthusiasts can be antici- 
pated in small matters, there seems some proba- 
bility that they may be in large ones also. At 
any rate, however fast or however slow the 
progress of flying may be, that it will make 
progress until it becomes of world-wide impor- 
tance is the absolute conviction of all those who 
are interested in it. Of course one of the great- 
est of all futures of the aeroplane is in connec- 



352 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

tion with aerial warfare. Here, again, I should 
like to make a quotation from the prophet to 
whose writing I have referred before. His de- 
scription of what the future will bring forth in 
the way of aerial warfare is imaginative, and at 
the same time tinged with a great deal of prac- 
ticability. He says: 

" A naval review is in progress in the home 
waters. Behind the array of the fleet come 
steaming long, low craft with wide decks cleared 
like floating docks. What are they? Suddenly, 
along the deck of one of them, a slim gray shape 
glides. It moves more swiftly, then rises abruptly 
in the air. It circles above the battleships. An- 
other follows, and another. Soon half a dozen 
twist and turn above the ships of war. They 
wheel into line in the air and move from one 
point to another with precision. They are aerial 
cruisers and reconnoitering craft — long dreamt 
of, now realized. They whirl away at a tre- 
mendous rate. Then, an aerial expedition ended, 
they come darting back to the parent ships, glid- 
ing down upon their decks. We turn to army 
maneuvers inland. In a hollow in a wood a 
small army of engineers are busy upon a con- 
struction which has come to the spot in many 
wagons. Presently their work is done. They 
draw back. There comes a sound of whirring 
machinery. The shape, again with wide-spread, 
bird-like wings, rises swiftly. There are men 



THE FUTURE OF AVIATION 353 

upon its deck — and guns too. Over a party of 
troops, whose hiding under cover is vain in face 
of such an assault as this, the machine hovers, 
almost standing still one moment, then darting 
ahead again. There are puffs of smoke from 
the deck of the airship, and the rattling report 
of machine guns. Moving like ants below men 
tend long-barreled, deadly-looking guns, which 
point rakishly skywards, and which follow the 
sw r ift movements of the airship above. Then, 
sweeping up almost from nowhere, comes another 
slim, quickly moving shape. The two aerial 
craft, wheeling round and round each other, 
move away higher and higher in a crescendo of 
firing." 

This is, indeed, a very dramatic picture of 
what we may see in the future. That the aero- 
plane will be developed in its destructive capa- 
bilities no one for a moment doubts. But its 
first uses, beyond question, when it is called upon 
in the warfare of the immediate future will 
be to carry despatches, and to reconnoiter the 
enemy's position. 

Afterwards, however, as machines become 
larger and more powerful, I see no reason at 
all why guns should not be mounted upon them. 
In such an event we should perhaps have the 
scenes actually carried out which are pictured 
above. 

Nothing could be more beneficial than an air- 



354 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

race conducted right through a country. These 
big contests of 191 1 will provide many interest- 
ing features. Regular teams of flyers will take 
part in them. The most remarkable organiza- 
tion will be necessary, both on the part of the 
officials, and as regards the competitor. 

In fact, more than one expert airman has al- 
ready expressed the opinion that the races will 
be won, all other things being equal, by the man 
who has taken the trouble to equip himself with 
the best organization. 

This organization on the airman's part will 
take the form of arranging with great care that 
his depots for obtaining petrol are well arranged ; 
that his machine is overhauled with the greatest 
care when he makes a halt; and that, should 
an accident befall him, spare parts may be rushed 
to his assistance with a minimum of delay. 

In America, as well as in other countries, a 
great many valuable prizes are to be competed 
for. Notable amongst them, of course, is the 
Hearst $50,000 award for an aeroplane flight 
from the Atlantic to the Pacific, via Chicago, or 
in a reverse direction, to be made within a month. 

Many people are beginning to compare the 
present stage of aeroplaning with some of the 
early days of the motor-car industry. There is, 
indeed, a great similarity between the two. But, 
at the same time, there is a difference. In the 
motor races, which can be compared with the 



THE FUTURE OF AVIATION 355 

long-flying races we are now about to embark 
upon, the net result, although undoubtedly bene- 
ficial, was the production of a more or less freak 
car. In the flying-races of the immediate future 
my hope is that the general tendency will be 
towards the production of a practical machine. 
The point of most interest, when considering the 
effect of cross-country flying upon the industry, 
is that only a practical sort of rough-weather 
machine will answer satisfactorily under such 
conditions. 

It is remarkable to reflect upon the value of 
prizes in furthering such a young industry as 
that of the aeroplane. The experimental work 
they are called upon to make is a constant drain 
upon the resources of manufacturers. 

And yet, if they do not persist in this research 
work, progress becomes irritatingly slow. But it 
is only human nature that the makers of aero- 
planes, and not only the makers but the men who 
risk their lives in putting to the test the makers' 
ideas, should be stimulated by the offer of valu- 
able rewards for any meritorious feat that they 
may perform. 

In preparation not only for the flights which 
have taken place, but also for those which are 
to come, the makers of aeroplanes in Europe 
have willingly spent many thousands of pounds. 
What this experimental work has meant in the 
production of improved apparatus it is almost 



356 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

impossible to say. But what one can say, with- 
out fear of contradiction, is that had it not been 
for the public-spirited offer of so many prizes, 
aeroplane progress would have been very much 
slower than has been the case. 

Upon this question of the amount of money 
that it is necessary to spend upon experiments 
before an aeroplane is considered sufficiently 
practical to place upon the market, a good deal 
of misapprehension exists. I have heard many 
men say, when looking through an aeroplane 
catalogue, and finding the price of any notable 
machine, 4k Why, it should be possible to build 
a machine like this for half the price." 

Such a remark is easily made, but it shows a 
lack of reasoning power. One cannot maintain 
an experimental factory, employ large numbers 
of draughtsmen, waste months of your own time, 
break up machines, and damage engines, without 
its costing you a very great deal of money. 

More than one manufacturer whom I know has 
devoted more than six months' persistent work 
to experiments with a machine before dreaming 
of asking anybody to buy one of them. 

I may, perhaps, make this point clearer if I 
quote a specific case. An amateur airman was 
conversing with the maker of a well-known type 
of engine. Quite good-humoredly, the airman 
was protesting against the high cost of aeroplane 
engines. The conversation then turned upon the 



THE FUTURE OF AVIATION 357 

production of a special motor of 300 horse-power 
which the pilot said he wanted in order to carry 
out some special flight in which very high speed 
was necessary. 

a How much will you charge me," he asked, 
" f or such an engine?'" The aeroplane engine- 
maker answered that he could not fix any price 
at all. 

Then he added: "Let me tell you this. In 
order to build such a new type of engine as 
would be necessary to produce 300 horse-power 
for aeroplane work a great amount of prelimi- 
nary tests would be required. I calculate that 
it would take me eighteen months to build a sat- 
isfactory engine of the type you mention. Dur- 
ing that eighteen months, although you may 
not believe me, my experimental expenses would 
amount to not very far short of £15,000. Natur- 
ally, you might ask where would the money go. 
It is not difficult to tell you. Before I was able 
to get the details of such a new engine all in 
satisfactory working order I should have to 
make, only to " scrap " again, quite a number 
of complete engines. You can, therefore, under- 
stand that a maker does not feel inclined to 
launch out upon a new type of engine unless he 
feels pretty certain that there is going to be a 
good demand for it." 

For such costly experimental work it must be 
obvious to every one that a very definite incen- 



358 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

tive is necessary. One of the greatest needs in 
the immediate future is for special prizes to 
encourage the building of an aeroplane specially 
designed to fulfill military requirements. In this 
respect one can feel nothing but admiration for 
the admirable attitude of France. 

Already, from the flying we have seen in 191 1, 
there are lessons to be learned. There is this 
lesson, for example. The engines of aeroplanes 
have now become practically as reliable as those 
in motor-cars. Instances, almost every day, are 
to be found to prove this. Naturally, in this 
connection, one may cite the recent feat of M. 
prier, — one of the most able pilots of the Bleriot 
monoplane. 

Taking his seat in his machine at Hendon, 
on the outskirts of London, early on a fine April 
afternoon, M. Prier sped across the southeast of 
England at more than 60 miles an hour, crossed 
the dreaded English Channel in a little more 
than a quarter of an hour, and arrived at Paris 
in time for tea! To be exact, his time of transit 
was 3 hours and 58 fhinutes. Adding to the 
wonder of the feat was the fact that M. Prier 
averaged a speed — again to be precise — of 
slightly over 63 miles an hour. 

This flight made people think. Such proofs 

of the growing practicability of the aeroplane 

are, I know, causing all thinking men to ask, 

1 What will the immediate future bring forth? ,; 



THE FUTURE OF AVIATION 359 

Every day, with their personal skill and courage 
growing, and with . steadily improving machines 
provided for them by the makers, airmen are 
able to carry out more ambitious flights. 

There was, I might mention in this connec- 
tion, the demonstration which I, and others, were 
able to give of the reliability of the aeroplane 
on the recent boat-race day. When all London 
was lining on the banks of the Thames, waiting 
to see the Oxford and Cambridge crews flock 
by, they heard unexpected sounds in the air, and, 
on looking upward, saw half a dozen aeroplanes 
circling above the river. 

The proof of reliability, in this regard, lay in 
this fact: all these aeroplanes were able to carry 
out a pre-arranged programme, leaving certain 
starting-points, descending at other places, and 
following specified courses over the river, and 
all the pilots were able, without hitch of hin- 
drance, to return to their starting-points. 

Here, again, was a lesson — and an indication 
of what the busy flying season of 191 1 is likely 
to bring forth. One more incident I may, per- 
haps, be permitted to mention before broadening 
my subject. On Easter Monday, being due to 
open an aeroplane exhibition at Bourneville, near 
Birmingham, I decided to discard the train and 
fly there, — a distance of 11 miles; and, despite 
a high wind and local fogs, I managed to carry 
out my scheme. Here was another object-lesson, 



360 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

as I meant it should be, of the practicability of 
the aeroplane. 

Now as to the topic of even wider interest — 
the extraordinary growth, since the commence- 
ment of ion, in all the military significance of 
the aeroplane. France, possessing in the, first 
instance some 20 or 30 machines, has increased 
her air-fleet, by leaps and bounds, until it stands, 
at the present moment, at a formidable total of 
close upon 150 war aeroplanes. Nfor is she con- 
tent with this; by the end of the year, beyond 
all doubt, she will own 200 machines, with pilots 
observers, and all the organization necessary to 
form a new and a highly-important "arm" in 
modern warfare. 

, Py dint . of incessant practice, her military 
pilots and observers have already reached a pigh 
stat^ of efficiency, )( Winds of. 25 miles an hour 
do not prevent them flying. Their machines are 
so reliable that they are able to carry out, almost 
daily, reconnoitring flights over 100-mile tracts 
of country. Her aerial observers have been 
trained to draw maps and make notes, while in 
an aeroplane, and to reconnoiter with accuracy 
from varying altitudes. 

.. Exactly wdiat stage of perfection France has 

.reached, in this development of military flying, 

1 none but those who have studied her progress 

.closely can adequately realise. She now has a 

new " arm," either of defence or offence, which 



THE;/ FUTURE OF AVIATJOX 361 

will be absolutely; invaluable to her in time of 
war. A fleet of military pilots and observers, 
with reliable aeroplanes, provide the Commander- 
in-Chief, of an arrny with the most perfect 
" eye " that has yet been given him, Informa- 
tion as to the enemy's movement he must have. 
Modern war makes reconnoitring vastly impor- 
tant; and the aeroplane, in an hour, will bring 
information that cavalry scouts would require a 
day to go in search of — and then might not 
obtain. 

Wireless telegraphy must not be forgotten 
either, in connection with the amazing work done 
since the beginning of the year. FYance, the 
enthusiastic, again performing pioneer work, has 
obtained wireless messages, from a military aero- 
plane in flight, over a distance of more than 10 
miles. 

How valuable this would be to return to head- 
quarters to make his report, the aerial observer, 
using his " portable M wireless equipment, will 
flash back the message of what he sees to a re- 
ceiving station., without an instant's delay. 

Not only in France, but in other countries as 
well, the military aeroplane has, since the be- 
ginning of 191 1, gone ahead with mighty strides. 
Russia, suddenly awakening to the value of this 
new war weapon, has decided to spend £90,000 
upon military machines. She will create a fleet 
of 300 aeroplanes before the end of the year, 



362 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

and is already buying them in squads of 20's and 
30's. Russian Officers are learning to fly in large 
numbers; great activity prevails. 

In Germany, too, the war aeroplane is now 
being developed with great energy. Temporarily 
neglecting the dirigible balloon, she is devoting 
herself assiduously to the aeroplane. First buy- 
ing a consignment of 20 monoplanes, the German 
War Office is now credited with the intention of 
creating an air-fleet of 100 machines before the 
maneuvers of 191 1, at which the Kaiser is said 
to -be particularly anxious that there should be 
important aerial evolutions. 

German officers are learning to fly with some 
secrecy as to the actual numbers passing through 
the schools. But it is clear that the intention is 
to create a very large air service in Germany. 
Inducements are being offered to military pilots 
in the form of prizes for long cross-country 
flights. Aerial reconnoitring is being carried on 
upon a definite and very practical basis. 

Mention should be made, also, of the fact that 
Austria, Spain, and Italy are dealing energetic- 
ally with questions of military airmanship. Re- 
garding America, my latest information is that 
a preliminary sum of £26,000, voted so as to make 
a beginning with an air-service, is soon to be 
very largely increased, and that definite encour- 
agement is to be given to American manufac- 
turers. It is a gratification to me, also, to know 



THE FUTURE OF AVIATION 363 

that the Aeronautical Reserve, founded during 
my visit to America in the autumn of 1910, is 
making remarkably good progress. 

One of. the possibilities of the immediate future, 
as foreshadowed since I wrote the beginning of 
this book, lies in the destructive powers -of an 
aeroplane. Machines have been able to carry in- 
creasingly heavy weights. It is now possible for 
a war aeroplane to raise into the air a pilot, an 
engineer, and explosives to the w r eight of 500 
pounds, and carry this load on a continuous flight 
of several hours. Although it is still to the re- 
connoitring possibilities of the aeroplane that mili- 
tary authorities attach chief importance, they are 
beginning to pay serious attention to the offen- 
sive uses of aircraft. They see that attacks upon 
supply stores, made, with incendiary bombs, might 
be very embarrassing; also, that troops on the 
march might be harrassed and bridges and for- 
tifications attacked. 

In England, despite the determined attempts 
that have been made to arouse the authorities 
from their apathy, our aeroplane service for mili- 
tary work is wofully inadequate. At the time 
of writing, the War Office possesses not more 
than ten machines, several of them obsolete. An 
Air Battalion has been formed, but critics declare 
that an altogether insufficient sum of money has 
been allocated for aeroplane expansion, and that 
the year 191 1 will be practically wasted, in com- 



364 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

parbon with the progress foreshadowed in other 
countries. 

What the authorities in England have pledged 
themselves to do is to test the aeroplane, for war 
purposes, in the next maneuvers. These experi- 
ments they promise to make very conlplete and 
exhaustive, and they say that if the aeroplane 
emerges successfully from the ordeal to which 
it will be subjected, they will put the air service 
upon a more important footing. 

Jn the maneuvers, which are to take place in 
Essex in September, it is clear that civilian air- 
men will have a chance of co-operating with the 
military pilots. 1 myself, with other airmen, will 
no doubt have an opportunity of showing the 
Army Council that the aeroplane is a thoroughly 
efficient instrument for military work. 

A later word than previously written is pos- 
sible, also, concerning the great contests of 191 1. 
One aerial tour after another has been arranged* 
until there is now a sum of £200,000 to be won, 
in flying prizes, during the season. 

In England there is now a probability of a keen 
contest for the Daily Mail £10,000 for a 1,000- 
mile race around Great Britain. Manufacturers 
are building s pecial machines for the contest ;. 
airmen are making their plans for winning it. 
In France important contests of all kinds are 
being actively arranged. There is a race from 
Paris to Brussels, London, and back to Paris; 



THE FUTURE OF AVIATION 365 

more races from Paris to Rome, and from Paris 
to Madrid. French makers are busy with special 
machines to take part in the official contests ar- 
ranged by the Government, for which £48,000 
is to be expended upon* procuring aeroplanes to 
meet military -requirements. 

In America, naturally, considerable interest will 
attach itself to the attempts which will be made 
to win Mr. W. Hearst's £10,000 prize for the 
aeroplane flight from the Atlantic to the Pacific. 

Already, in constructing machines to win these 
races, aeroplane makers have : revealed what are 
to be the outstanding features of the machines 
of 191 1. Certainly these machines will resolve 
themselves ifrto two' types. , In the first place, we 
shall have a fast machine, capable in taking part 
in long cross-country faces, and of averaging a 
very high rate of speed, — probably 80 or 90 
miles an hour. This machine will not be a weight- 
carrier, and it w T ill be as lightly built as is con- 
sistent with safety. 

As a contrast to this racing-machine, there 
will be evolved an aeroplane for touring. Here 
weight-carrying capacity and comfort will be the 
prime considerations. High speed will not be 
sought. The machine will be strong and soundly 
built. The aim will be to produce, as a type, a 
regular air-car. 

Some of these machines will be two-seaters; 
others will take three, passengers and an "aerial 



366 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

chauffeur." These two types will, of course, be 
distinct from developments as regards military 
aeroplanes. The war machine will be made 
stronger, and probably speedier, and capable of 
carrying a regular " crew " — consisting of pilot, 
engineer, and observer. 

The development of a touring machine during 
the summer will greatly popularize cross-country 
flying. In this regard, Mr. Henry Farman, one 
of the greatest authorities upon the practical as- 
pects of aviation, now lays it down, as his mature 
opinion, that by aerial touring alone will the aero- 
plane be introduced to the world as a regular 
meapis of getting from place to place. 

He, and others in France, are now striving to 
arrange for. a series of aerial trips all over the 
country during the summer. It is intended that 
a party of aeroplane tourists should start away, 
and -occupy themselves with an aerial journey for 
several weeks, visiting beauty spots, and obtain- 
ing a bird's-eye view of the charms of the coun- 
try, below. To make such pleasure journeys by 
air really practicable, it is recognized that regular 
landing-places, at various points, will be a neces-. 
sity. Therefore the makers in France, and the 
governing bodies of flight, are now doing all in 
their power to create " air stations " at chosen 
spots. At these stations the tourists will find a 
good landing-ground, with sheds for their ma- 
chines, and with petrol depots and repair shops 
to hand. 



THE FUTURE OF AVIATION 367 

With a chain of these necessary " air stations " 
conveniently arranged, aerial touring will become 
a thoroughly practical affair. The lead in France 
is being followed in England. Already more than 
one popular resort is considering the laying out 
of an " air station." Before the summer is 
over, the aeroplane " week-end/ •■ involving a trip 
from London to the seaside, will have become 
quite an established fact. 

This aerial touring, once actively in progress, 
will have a very important effect upon the ex- 
pansion of the industry. It will induce pupils 
to come to the ying schools. It will, in addition, 
tend towards the selling of a gfeat many more 
aeroplanes. It will create, moreover, a deeper 
and more practical interest among members of 
the public in the development of flight. 

Thus, indeed, we see the immediate future. 
Vitally important will be the military potentiali- 
ties of the aeroplane. Then will come the effect 
of the great aerial races, allowing new machines 
to be tested and many improvements made. 
Finally, rounding off the w r ork of the year, will 
come regular "air cars," and the institution of 
aerial touring as a new pleasure for the traveler. 



CHAPTER XX 

COMMERCIAL POSSIBILITIES OF THE AEROPLANE 

Not much has been said about the possibilities 
of the aeroplane for use with a fleet. As a 
matter of fact, nothing but tentative experiments 
have, as yet, been made. What it has been 
sought to prove in America and elsewhere, is 
that an aeroplane can be launched from the decks 
of a ship. The results have been favorable. The 
aeroplane, after leaving a special slipway con- 
structed on the deck of the ship, has been able 
to fly back again and alight safely on the deck 
once more. 

Personally, I see no great difficulty in this, 
providing that a sufficiently large space is al- 
lowed for the machine to run along on before 
it takes the air. 

.The greatest difficulty comes not in starting 
a flight from the deck of a ship, but in ending 
one there. In calm weather it is all right. But, 
where the pilot is confronted with the problem 
of a side wind when returning to the ship, he 
is rather awkwardly situated. He has a small 

368 



COMMERCIAL POSSIBILITIES 369 

space only upon which to land, with a side wind 
drifting him away from it all the time. 

All this question requires, however, is to be 
very well thought out, and for more tests to be 
carried out. In this connection, I hear that the 
authorities in France, alert as usual to any de- 
velopments of the aeroplane, are building, or- 
have already built, a special vessel with a land* 
ing-deck for aeroplanes upon it," which will be 
used during the coming summer in making just 
such a series of experiments as I have advocated. 

The value of the aeroplane to* a navy can 
scarcely be over-estimated. One can imagine a 
fleet steaming out from some port to find an 
enemy, and not knowing exactly where this 
enemy is. From a ship attending the fleet aero- 
planes will be sent up. Their reconnoitering 
work would, beyond all doubt, prove of the 
greatest value. 

What, of course, is most important — at least 
to those who are in the industry - — is the com- 
mercial possibilities of the aeroplane. Here one 
finds that opinions are very much divided. Some 
people think that, however much it improves, the 
aeroplane will never be a competitor with land 
and sea travel as we at present know it. They 
do not liold this view because they think the 
aeroplane is not going to improve* but because 
they do not think that it will be a practical com- 
petitor with either of these means of transit 



370 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

Personally, I have thought these things out 
carefully. Here, at the end of my book, it would 
be as well for me to summarize these views, even 
though I have expressed some of them before 
when dealing with the various sections. 

What is the demand to-day as regards travel ? 
Everybody wants greater speed. " More speed " 
is the universal cry. In preparing their time- 
tables, the great railway companies strive to cut 
off a minute here and a minute there. 

Business men, traveling from one city to an- 
other, will change their patronage from one rail- 
way to another because they find they can save, 
perhaps, a couple of minutes on a two-hours' 
journey. Every feat of fast railway traveling 
is acclaimed as a great achievement. But the 
limit, as regards railway speeds, is being 
reached. Unless some very radical change 
takes place, trains will not be able to run 
much faster. 

And yet the demand for these increases of 
speed is insatiable. Of course there are systems 
such as the high-speed, electrically driven mono- 
rail train, which can attain very high speed. But, 
in regard to any such new systems as this, I am 
told that the question of expense in operating 
them would be a very big question indeed. As 
regards sea travel, speeds have been increased 
enormously in recent years. But here again one 
finds that a limit is being approached. 



COMMERCIAL POSSIBILITIES 371 

To gain any small increase in speed nowadays, 
the engine-power of a ship has to be enormously 
increased. The result is that the cost of run- 
ning the ship becomes almost prohibitive. As 
a matter of fact, there has been a tendency lately, 
on this account, to reduce the speed of ships, and 
to increase their size and comfort. This does 
not, however, suit the keen business man who 
wants to get from London to New York as fast 
as is possible. 

What we have got, therefore, is a demand for 
speed, and more speed, and yet with the providers 
of that speed being unable to keep pace with the 
demand. This situation seems to me to augur 
very well for the development of aerial traffic. 
In the air we have an ideal and at present an 
unexploited medium for the highest form of 
high-speed traffic. And it seems to me that we 
shall find that high-speed traffic through the air 
can be carried out at a very economical cost, as 
compared with anything like the same rate of 
travel upon the land. This is rather a contro- 
versial point, but I cannot see, myself, where the 
high-speed aeroplane of the future is going to 
be very costly in running. 

To begin with, the aeroplane service, from 
point to point, would not be loaded down, as is 
a railway company, by the cost of its permanent 
way upkeep. The air route w r ould be free.- All 
that the aeroplane company would have to do 



372 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

would be to provide itself with the necessary 
stations, and to equip its service with an efficient 
fleet of craft. Between points it would merely 
have the air in which to pass through. What 
exactly would be represented by the wear and 
tear upon an aeroplane passenger craft it is diffi- 
cult to say. One does not quite see, for instance, 
What form of power might be used to propel one. 
As regards the wear-and-tcar upon the machine 
itself, when passing through the air, T think this 
would be more or less a negligible quantity. 

lUtt the great thing to remember, in connec- 
tion with the development of aeroplanes com- 
mercially, is that pe6ple are willing to pay well 
if they can be taken from point to point very 
quickly. There would, I foresee, be no lack of 
passengers if an aeroplane service could be es- 
tablished between London and Manchester, doing 
the journey in about half the time now taken by 
trains. Of course, what the passengers would 
need to be assured of was the safety of the 
craft. By the time a passenger-carrying ma- 
chine of this size is an accomplished fact it may 
be taken for granted that the factor of safety 
will be a very high one. 

It seemed a wild dream, not long ago, when 
people talked of crossing the Atlantic by aero- 
plane. I remember that Mr. John B. Moisant, 
an American airman who was killed on the last 
clay of 191 o, prophesied, when being presented 



COMMERCIAL POSSIBILITIES 373 

with a souvenir at the offices of the London 
Daily Mail, that aeroplanes would be flying across 
the Atlantic from England to America within a 
period of five years. Personally, I should not 
be surprised if this forecast of his came true. 

The year 191 1 will be fraught with great 
possibilities. If the variable-speed aeroplane, to 
which I have referred, can be made an accom- 
plished fact during the year, and if reliable en- 
gines of a greater power are to hand, then the 
industry will go ahead with very remarkable 
strides. 

As regards the variable-speed aeroplane, I am 
myself hopeful. I think it is only a question of 
careful experiment before this improvement is 
effected. If we can find a practical machine, 
giving speeds from twenty-five to one hundred 
miles an hour, the whole outlook will be im- 
measurably broadened. Primarily, of course, 
this high speed will give one the power to com- 
bat winds. In this regard it is curious to note 
that there are critics who declare that high- 
speed flying will not be so efficacious as has al- 
ways been contended by practical authorities. 
Personally, I think that if a machine can be 
made to fly satisfactorily at a speed of one hun- 
dred miles an hour it will be able to weather 
any wind short of an actual gale. 

Of course, the immediate development of ma- 
chine of this type will be for use in military and 



374 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

naval purposes. Then, afterwards, we shall find 
passenger-carrying services on an unambitious 
scale being put into operation. From this stage 
flying will go ahead very rapidly. 

With increased engine power a greater solidity 
of construction will come into vogue. I foresee, 
then, that experiments will be made with metal 
machines. From this stage, if it proves prac- 
ticable, there will be nothing much to hinder the 
evolution of a large, passenger-carrying craft. 
It is a fact, however, that most of the builders 
with whom I have discussed this question are 
inclined to think that for some considerable time 
at any rate the passenger-carrying machine will 
be limited to a capacity of about a dozen people. 
This restriction they r place upon the future very 
largely because they are not yet sure of the power 
that will be placed at their disposal. 

Of course, when a variable-speed machine of 
a practical kind is placed upon the aeroplane 
market, there is bound to be a demand for it 
from among people of wealth and leisure, who 
are, as a rule, only too ready to take up any new 
form of amusement. 

There have been many adverse factors which 
have, so far, handicapped the aeroplane in any 
such field. To begin with, the prominence that 
has been given to aeroplane accidents has, natu- 
rally, had a very prejudicial effect upon what one 
might call the private demand for such craft. 






COMMERCIAL POSSIBILITIES 375 

The man of wealth, who enjoys driving his 
own high-powered and expensive car, would not 
do so, naturally, if he thought there was a very 
grave danger of his losing his life while at the 
wheel. Regarding aeroplaning, such a man be- 
lieves that the danger is very great indeed. He 
reads the accounts of the accidents which have 
taken place, and he does not realize the very 
great number of men who have learned to fly. 

Nor does he appreciate the fact that accident 
may be very greatly obviated, even with present- 
type machines, by only attempting flights when 
conditions are quite favorable, and by not making 
risky cross-country journeys over tracts of land 
where there are not good landing-spots should 
the engine of the machine give trouble. That 
there is bound to be what one may call a " boom " 
in aeroplaning I am sure. The only thing neces- 
sary is a suitable machine. If the makers can 
provide a machine which will get into the air at 
a slow speed, and which will fly fast when it is 
in the air, and still have an ability to return to 
the ground at quite a moderate pace, I foresee 
that such a craft is bound to be bought by others 
than professional flyers, or for military or purely 
trade purposes. One can gauge the interest of 
the ordinary person in flying from the remarks 
and demeanor of those whorti one takes for an 
aerial trip as passengers. 

In every case, I think, when I have taken up a 



376* THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

passenger, I have heard, at the conclusion of the 
flight, the most enthusiastic eulogy of the exhil- 
aration of the new sport. It is, of course, a very 
different thing from motoring. It has a greater 
thrill. The sensation of power is indescribably 
fine. The objections to motoring, which are the 
question of dust on the roads, and vibration from 
uneven surfaces, are entirely absent in air travel. 
It is therefore, merely a question of providing 
the private purchaser witb a safe and practicable 
machine in order to open up an extraordinarily 
valuable field for the new industry. 

Regarding this point, one of the best known of 
the French manufacturers observed to me, quite 
recently: " I feel convinced that the aeroplane 
will, when the time comes, introduce to the world 
a greater industry than that which was created 
by the adoption of the motor car. Looking back 
upon the progress of motoring, and then compar- 
ing this with the development of the aeroplane, 
one finds that the progress of the latter has been 
far more rapid than was the case with the motor 
car. Yet the problems to be solved in connection 
with the aeroplane seemed, in the first instance, 
to be absolutely insurmountable. This astonish- 
ing rapidity in the development of flying is, of 
course, rather apt to bring about something in 
the nature of a check. During 1909, and most of 
1910, the progress of the aeroplane was amaz- 
ingly rapid. Then, towards the end of 19 10, 



COMMERCIAL POSSIBILITIES 377 

things seemed to steady down to some extent, 
Machines and engines had reached a certain state 
of perfection. Flights of many hours' duration 
could be made. Engines were approaching the 
reliability of those fitted to motor cars. Because 
the science has stayed in this one stage, for a 
month or -so, the rumor has got abroad that a seri- 
ous crisis has been reached. As a matter of fact, 
all that has happened is that there is something in 
the nature of a breathing space rather than a 
reaction. Manufacturers are looking round to 
note what progress has been made and also what 
may be done in the future. It has become clear 
that the next steps forward are as regards the 
greater structural strength of aeroplanes and also 
in connection with their wind-flying capacities." 



CHAPTER XXI 

WHAT THE IMMEDIATE FUTURE WILL 
PROBABLY BRING 

Utmost importance is attached to the question 
of improving the safety of machines by building 

them more strongly. A friend of mine, who has 
made an analysis of many of the aeroplane disas- 
ters which have occurred, has proved pretty con- 
clusively that a very grave cause of accident lias 
been the tendency of machines to break while in 
the air. 

In fact, had it been possible to have had more 
strongly built machines during the past year or 
eighteen months, quite a number of the deaths 
which have been recorded might have been obvi- 
ated. Fortunately there is no very great difficulty 
in increasing the strength of machines now that 
it is possible to carry greater weights in the air. 

Builders have also learned many useful lessons, 
as I have said before, from the accidents which 
have occurred. The machine of 191 1 will be a 
very much more practical and all-round craft 
than any of its predecessors. More attention will 
be paid to the comfort of those who travel in it. 

378 



WHAT FUTURE WILL BRING 379 

rated by the Paris daily paper Le Journal Dur- 
Its controlling mechanism will be more carefully 
thought out. In its general structure, portability 
as well as strength will be aimed at. 

One must not forget to make reference to the 
very important contests which will take place 
during 191 1. The whole trend of these events 
will be to encourage cross-country flying. And 
speed, also, will be considered an important point. 
For the Gordon-Bennett race, which was won in 
1909 by America, in the person of Mr. Glenn PL 
Curtiss, and secured for England by myself in 
1910, a very notable meeting of champions is to 
take place in England, probably at the end of 
June, 191 1. 

The utmost care is being exercised by the Royal 
Aero Club of the United Kingdom in their selec- 
tion of a ground for this contest. Owing to the 
very high speeds which will, without doubt, be 
attained, a three-mile course will be imperative. 
To secure this in England is no easy matter. Not 
only must the aerodrome so chosen be quite un- 
encumbered by trees, but there must be, at all 
points of the course, a perfectly smooth landing 
place should a machine descend owing to engine 
troubles. It is hoped to hold this historic contest 
in the vicinity of London. 

Another enormously important event w r hich will 
take place during 191 1 will be the great contest 
between European capitals which will be inaugu- 



MAY 26 19U 



380 THE STORY OF THE AEROPLANE 

ing the progress of this race the airmen compet- 
ing will visit Berlin, Brussels, and London. One 
must not forget, either, the Hearst contest, in 
America, for a flight from the Atlantic to the 
Pacific. 

One must not forget, either, a contest which 
will do enormously important work in developing 
the industry in England. That is the £10,000 
prize for a 1000-mile race throughout Great Brit- 
ain, which is offered by the London Daily Mail, 
and for which, without doubt, the world's airmen 
will compete. Many prophecies arc being made 
as to the speeds that will be attained during the 
races of 191 1. Personally, 1 think that a speed of 
100 miles an hour will he achieved by some of the 
racing monoplanes taking part in these important 
events. 

The aeroplane will not lack encouragement 
during 191 1. In France, alone, I was told the 
other day that at least £100,000 will he devoted 
to aeroplane prizes. With this, and with English 
and American interest aroused, to say nothing of 
the demands made by governments, there is no 
reason at all why the industry should lag. 

As one who has every confidence in the future 
of flying, I foresee that the next year or eighteen 
months will have enormous significance. 



THE STORY 

OF THE 

AEROPLANE 



BY 



CLAUDE GRAHAME-WHITE 




BOSTON 
SMALL, MAYNARD AND COMPANY 

PUBLISHERS 



' 



LI 



